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Ohio House speaker criticized for joke saying Obama should go to prison
Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, is catching heat for joking at a Summit County GOP event that President Barack Obama should be sent to prison.
State Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, called on Batchelder, a former judge, to apologize.
“Speaker Batchelder’s recent comments are absolutely deplorable. I call on the speaker to apologize for such distasteful remarks immediately,” Sykes said in a written release. “The unprecedented disrespect we have seen for President Obama only serves to undermine and threaten our democracy. I would expect my longtime friend, colleague and the Speaker of the Ohio House to respect the office of the President of the United States regardless of party affiliation.”
Batchelder made the remark while introducing Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum to a crowd of more than 1,000 Ohioans. The Washington Post quoted Batchelder saying, “The liberals are asking us to give Obama more time. And I think 25-to-life would be a good start.”
Batchelder issued a written statement saying the joke was similar in flavor to one he heard delivered by Jay Leno.
“While some are trying to twist a harmless joke into an opportunity to attack me, make no mistake that I have deep respect for the presidency and the integrity of the office, regardless of who holds it. I will not apologize for the joke, but I will apologize to my friend and colleague who apparently considered it more than a joke. I will do my best in the future not to quote jokes previously delivered by Jay Leno and other comedians.”
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