Lowcountry rep. reacts to leaked audio: ‘I said what I said’

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina GOP is calling for a state representative to resign after audio was leaked to a far-right activist group.

GOP officials say Krystle Matthews’ comments that were leaked by “Project Veritas” were racist.

In response to the leak, Matthews stood by what she said.

Aren’t you tired of politicians selling out our communities, spitting on our working families, and exploiting the rights of our women and children? While taking community pictures and kissing our babies, our favorite legislators wash their hands and sweep what our community needs under the rug. What would you call that? I call that SH**, and my mother raised me to treat something exactly how it is! So when I stated to that undercover journalist Chris Williams in that satirical MAGA Powered news outlet Project Veritas, “to treat these MAGA Republicans like SH**.” I SAID WHAT I SAID! Play the whole tape “PROJECT VERITAS,” so the people will know who I was referring to. Regardless of race, I love everyone. One thing you can learn from Project Veritas’ first audio attack on me is obviously, I have no biases towards a certain ethnic group. I expressed my disgust for Black legislators who exhibit the same hypocrisy as MAGA Republicans. This is why I am challenging MAGA’s favorite Black legislator, Tim Scott. Understand I never proposed to be an orthodox candidate. I’m a community advocate who the people favored enough to have me take the seat of a Republican incumbent. Through that same favor, I plan to do the same thing with the United States Senate seat currently held by Republican incumbent Tim Scott. Unfortunately, serving in the statehouse has given me a direct view of the treachery a lot of the legislators I previously had respect for are indulging in. One thing I regret and apologize for from the private audio call was allowing myself to get out of character and make someone feel I’m okay with accepting funding from toxins that have poisoned the very communities I serve. My objective was to let him know in this fight we need everyone’s vote, including the Duffel bag boys to win the election, and obviously went off script! Make no mistake when I said we have to fight certain fires with fire, engage with marginalized communities and send sleepers to infiltrate the Republican Party and tear their house down. I’ve been doing that effectively as you will see in November. I SAID WHAT I SAID RESPECTFULLY.

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick says Matthews’ comments in the audio advocated for treating white people poorly.

Again, Krystle Matthews should resign. We said what we said, respectfully. She knows she’s been caught showing her true colors, and now she’s trying to blame people who have called out her racism and calls for illegal activity. And again, we have to bring up the crickets we’ve heard from the other side. Where does Joe Cunningham stand? Does he agree with her remarks? Voters deserve to know. What about the S.C. House Democrat caucus? What about Annie Andrews or Jim Clyburn? The silence is deafening.

The party’s full statement can be viewed below.

The state’s Democratic nominee for governor, Joe Cunningham, also released a statement on the leak Thursday night.

I agree with Rep. Justin Bamberg that Krystle Matthews should resign from the House and withdraw from the race for United States Senate. There is absolutely no place in our political discourse for the kind of rhetoric I heard from Rep. Matthews in the video in question. The Democratic Party cannot and should not tolerate such behavior from our elected officials and candidates and we must be consistent in calling out prejudice and hateful comments wherever it exists.

Matthews currently represents District 117 (Charleston and Berkeley counties) and is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate going up against Republican Tim Scott.

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