A Maryland Democratic legislator was censured Thursday by her colleagues in the state’s House of Delegates and faces calls for resignation after using a racial slur at a social gathering just last month.
The Maryland House of Delegates voted unanimously 136-0 for the expression of severe disapproval against Del. Mary Ann Lisanti (D-Harford County), who claims she does not “recall” whether she used the slur at the party but that she is “sure” she has used it in the past.
Fox News reports,
The censure came after The Washington Post published a report on Monday that Lisanti told a white colleague she'd been campaigning in a "[N-word] district" in mostly black Prince George's County to support a candidate in last fall's elections.
Lisanti, who is in her second term, told The Post, "I don't recall that. ... I don't recall much of that evening." When asked whether she had ever used the slur, the newspaper reported that she said, "I'm sure I have ... I'm sure everyone has used it."
Soon after the report was published, Lisanti issued an apology to the Maryland Black Caucus, but that apology was deemed by the caucus chairman Del. Darryl Barnes (D-Prince George) as “not sincere.”
She was then forced to step down from a leadership post.
Lisanti has vowed to stay in office despite calls for her resignation.
In a press conference following the censure vote, Lisanti said that she “too” denounces the word and is “willing” to do the “hard work” of facing her colleagues and accepting responsibility.
Not surprisingly, the Democratic legislator’s indiscretion has received scant media coverage. Had it been a Republican who used a racial slur, chances are it would have been all over the news.
CNN waited until after the censure vote to report on Lisanti or to reach out to her for comment.