FILED UNDER 
 
 
 
 
 
 AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Gov. Paul LePage, who has a reputation for making inflammatory comments, reportedly said last week that President Obama hates white people. 
 
 The Portland Press Herald is quoting two unnamed state lawmakers who say they heard LePage make the remark at a party fundraiser last Monday. 
 
 According to the paper, each said LePage talked about how Obama could have been the best president ever if he highlighted his bi-racial heritage. 
 
 
 
 But LePage reportedly said the president hasn't done that because he hates white people. 
 
 
 
 Two other legislators who were there say they did not hear LePage say anything like that. 
 
 Gov. LePage spoke brielfy with reporters in Augusta on Monday saying he never said the comment. 
 
 
 
 LePage political advisor Brent Littlefield says he was not at the event, but he feels it is far-fetched for anyone to make an insinuation that the governor is racist given his life history. 
 
 
 
 A young black man from Jamaica, Devon Raymond junior joined Lepage's family in 2002. ||||| Republican lawmakers: LePage said Obama 'hates white people' 
 
 Two Republicans say the governor made the remark during a fundraiser in Belgrade last week. 
 
 By Eric Russell erussell@pressherald.com 
 
 Staff Writer 
 
 Gov. Paul LePage told a group of Republicans last week that President Obama "hates white people," according to two state lawmakers who say they heard the remark directly. 
 
 The governor made the comment during a Maine Republican Party fundraiser on Aug. 12 at the home of John and Linda Fortier in Belgrade. According to the invitation, the fundraiser was a "meet and greet" for LePage and first lady Ann LePage, and an opportunity to meet Rick Bennett, the new party chairman. 
 
 The lawmakers, both Republicans, confirmed the comment when asked by a Portland Press Herald reporter but asked that their names be withheld for fear of political retribution. 
 
 Each said LePage talked about how Obama could have been the best president ever if he had highlighted his biracial heritage. LePage said the president hasn't done that because he hates white people. 
 
 "Yeah, he said it," said one of the lawmakers. "It was one little thing from a speech, but I think most people there thought it was totally inappropriate." 
 
 Bennett, who was elected in July to succeed Richard Cebra as Maine Republican Party chairman, did not return multiple calls for comment about the story Monday. 
 
 Two other lawmakers who attended the event – Reps. Alex Willette of Mapleton and Larry Dunphy of Embden – said that if LePage made the comment, they didn't hear it. 
 
 "I didn't hear him say anything like that," said Willette, who added that he spent most of the event trying to raise money for his candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District seat. 
 
 Dunphy said the governor made some brief, informal remarks but he doesn't remember hearing anything about the president hating white people. 
 
 Peter Steele, the governor's director of communications, said he couldn't comment because the fundraiser was not official business. He referred questions to Brent Littlefield, the governor's senior political adviser, who initially wouldn't comment and was not at the event. 
 
 After the governor's remark was reported in the media, Littlefield issued a statement that said, in part, “It seems farfetched for anyone, even a newspaper, to make an insinuation the governor is racist given his life history." 
 
 The statement makes reference to Devon Raymond Jr., a Jamaica-born man whom the LePages cared for while he attended high school in Maine: "(LePage) and his family made a choice and sacrifice when they offered Devon the opportunity to join their family many years ago. Paul and Ann call him their son. Paul LePage recognized many people helped him make it out of poverty and he has been determined to help others succeed.” 
 
 The statement also referred to LePage's years of participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in Waterville. 
 
 The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. 
 
 Maine is one of the least racially diverse states, with a black population estimated at 1.3 percent, according to the U.S. Census. 
 
 One of the lawmakers who confirmed LePage's comment said he supports the governor's policies but is tired of being asked to defend controversial statements. 
 
 LePage has a history of making inflammatory comments that have sometimes overshadowed his policy achievements. 
 
 • In September 2010, before he was elected, he told a group of fishermen at a forum: "As your governor, you're going to be seeing a lot of me on the front page, saying 'Governor LePage tells Obama to go to hell.'" 
 
 • In January 2011, shortly after he was sworn in, he declined an invitation to an event hosted by the NAACP in Portland. When asked what he would tell the group if it questioned his decision, LePage replied, "Tell them to kiss my butt." 
 
 • In July last year, he compared the Internal Revenue Service to the Gestapo, the Nazi police. 
 
 • In June of this year, he said Maine Assistant Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson would be "the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline." 
 
 If the governor did in fact say that Obama hates white people, it would top the governor's list, said Mark Brewer, a political scientist at the University of Maine. 
 
 "It's a ludicrous comment," he said. "But does it hurt him? Given that it's Paul LePage, I don't necessarily think so. There will be a big uproar from some, but the general reaction will be, 'There he goes again.'" 
 
 Even though the public has been desensitized by LePage's many controversial statements, Brewer said, the governor "shouldn't get a pass." 
 
 Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at: erussell@pressherald.com 
 
 Twitter: @PPHEricRussell ||||| Troy R. Bennett | BDN Troy R. Bennett | BDN 
 
 Gov. Paul LePage told a group of Republican lawmakers and political supporters during a fundraiser on Aug. 12 that President Barack Obama “hates white people,” according to an attendee of the event. 
 
 “It was a typical, off the cuff, off the script, Paul LePage comment,” the attendee, who preferred to remain anonymous because of fear of political reprisals, told the Bangor Daily News. 
 
 The attendee described the governor’s comments as plainspoken and tacked onto the end of remarks to the group that were critical of the Affordable Care Act, the president’s health care reform bill commonly referred to as “Obamacare.” 
 
 The fundraiser was sponsored by the Kennebec County Republican Committee and was held at the private home of John and Lisa Fortier in Belgrade. 
 
 Between 50 and 60 people attended, including several sitting Republican lawmakers, representatives from Sen. Susan Collins’ office and the new chairman of the Republican Party, Rick Bennett. 
 
 The fundraiser was billed as a chance to meet the governor and first lady and honor Bennett’s election as chairman, according to a Maine Republican Party mailing. The donation was $50 per person to attend. 
 
 Bennett, reached Monday, confirmed the governor made comments about President Obama and race during the fundraiser. 
 
 “[Gov. LePage] said President Obama had an opportunity to unify the country on race, but didn’t do anything,” Bennett said. 
 
 When asked directly whether the governor made the remark about the president and white people, Bennett said, “I didn’t hear that.” 
 
 In a subsequent conversation, he said, “The governor is not a racist. He raised an African-American kid,” a reference to Devon Raymond, a native of Jamaica who lived with the LePages in Waterville, and whom the governor refers to as his adopted son. 
 
 “I’ve never heard him say anything racist,” Bennett said. 
 
 LePage political adviser Brent Littlefield also said the governor is not a racist. 
 
 “It seems farfetched for anyone, even a newspaper, to make an insinuation the Governor is racist given his life history. He and his family made a choice and sacrifice when they offered Devon the opportunity to join their family many years ago. Paul and Ann call him their son. Paul LePage recognized many people helped him make it out of poverty and he has been determined to help others succeed,” Littlefield said in an email statement. 
 
 Littlefield also pointed out LePage’s regular attendance at Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations in Waterville. 
 
 House Minority Leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport, also attended the fundraiser, but said he did not hear any offensive remarks from the governor. 
 
 “I was kind of in-and-out,” Fredette said. 
 
 The attendee who confirmed the remarks said those farthest away from the governor likely would have had difficulty hearing him. 
 
 The governor’s remarks first were reported Monday by the Portland Press Herald, which cited two unnamed Republican lawmakers as hearing LePage’s comments. 
 
 LePage spokesman Peter Steele told them the event was a campaign function and referred questions to Littlefield. 
 
 Calls for comment to LePage’s representatives were not returned Monday evening. 
 
 Reaction to the governor’s comments spread quickly across social media Monday evening, drawing scorn from Republicans and Democrats alike. 
 
 One high-profile Republican, former 1st District congressional candidate Dean Scontras, went so far as to say LePage should resign.
– Maine's governor managed to make even his fellow Republicans cringe at a fundraiser last week, according to two GOP state lawmakers who were there. Paul LePage was discussing how President Obama blew his chance at being a great president by not touting his biracial heritage—which he hasn't done because, according to LePage, Obama "hates white people." The two sources heard the comment directly, but aren't revealing themselves for fear of retribution, the Portland Press Herald reports. "It was one little thing from a speech," says one, "but I think most people there thought it was totally inappropriate." Asked about it today, LePage denied making the comment, reports Politico. “No I never said that and you guys are all about gossip, goodbye,” said the governor, as quoted by WLBZ 2. Two other lawmakers who attended the Maine Republican Party fundraiser and meet-and-greet on August 12 say they didn't hear the remark; another attendee tells the Bangor Daily News LePage "said President Obama had an opportunity to unify the country on race, but didn’t do anything," but that he didn't hear the supposed "white people" comment. The governor is no stranger to controversial remarks; in 2011, he said the NAACP could "kiss my butt," and last year he compared the IRS to the Gestapo.