President Biden believes everyone who participated in a racist conversation among Los Angeles City Council members should resign, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.
L.A. City Council president Nury Martinez announced her resignation as president Monday, after she was heard making racist comments about the Black son of another councilmember, according to a leaked audio recording of the conversation.
The conversation took place in or around October 2021, according to the Los Angeles Times. Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, all took part in the call, the Times reported. Herrera announced his resignation Monday night.
According to audio obtained by the newspaper, Martinez referred to Councilman Mike Bonin’s son, who is Black, as “Parece changuito,” which means “that little monkey,” when translated from Spanish to English.
Jean-Pierre said the president has been following the L.A. City Council story closely, and believes all parties on the call should resign, either for using or for tolerating such “appalling” language.
“Look, the president is glad to see that one of the participants in that conversation has resigned,” Jean-Pierre said. “But they all should. He believes that they all should resign. The language that was used and tolerated during that conversation was unacceptable, and it was appalling. They should all step down.”
Martinez is taking a leave of absence from the council. Bonin has urged his council members to first resign, then ask for forgiveness.
But the call from the president to step down is perhaps the most public pressure the local officials have seen yet.
Jean-Pierre sought to contrast Democrats and Republicans, claiming Democrats hold each other accountable. She specifically mentioned GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Doug Mastriano, the GOP candidate for governor in Pennsylvania. Tuberville recently said Democrats are “pro-crime,” and favor reparations for descendants of people who were enslaved because they believe “the people that do the crime are owed that.”
Mastriano criticized his opponent in the Pennsylvania governor’s race, Josh Shapiro, for sending his kids to a Jewish school.
“And here’s the difference between Democrats and MAGA Republicans,” Jean-Pierre said. “When a Democrat says something racist or anti-Semitic, we would hold them, we hold…Democrats accountable. When a MAGA Republican says something racist, or anti-Semitic, they are embraced by cheering crowds and become celebrated and sought after endorsements. Sen. Tuberville, let’s not forget this just happened, saying black people commit crimes. Doug Mastriano attacking his opponent in the Pennsylvania governor’s race for for sending his children to a Jewish Day School.”
— Arden Farhi contributed to this report.
