Rep. Jim Cooper clarified Monday that he was referring to racism, not Down syndrome, when he slammed South Carolina voters as having “extra chromosomes.”
The Nashville Democrat came under fire from the Down syndrome community after he told Nashville Scene in a new interview: “I’ve said for years that they have extra chromosomes, South Carolina voters. Anybody who could re-elect Lindsey Graham after his two-faced performance on federal judges, they have a tolerance that I can’t imagine.”
A trisomy is a chromosomal condition characterized by an additional chromosome, evident in people living with Down syndrome, Edward syndrome and Patau syndrome.
Mr. Cooper’s office later said the congressman regretted his choice of words, despite him saying he had repeated it “for years.”
“To be clear, he was referring to the legacy of bigots and racists, and a clearly high tolerance for hypocrisy in South Carolina,” press secretary Katie Feldhaus Jackson clarified to The Tennessean. “It was a poor analogy and he regrets it.”
Mr. Cooper was reelected this month to his 16th term in Congress after facing no Republican opposition.
Hey @repjimcooper I am a new Nashville constituent and I wanna know what you meant by the below quote…
Just ask your brother Mayor Chicken @JohnCooper4Nash I am relentless, your worst nightmare and I’m not going anywhere! pic.twitter.com/SfKi5XWQMz
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) November 23, 2020
“the phrase is one Cooper said he has used “for years.”https://t.co/vP7ZgKokHQ
— David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) November 24, 2020
While spox said he regrets the “extra chromosomes” remark, Congressman Cooper in the interview noted it is something he has said “for years.” https://t.co/eFyaFQXsxb
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) November 23, 2020
“I’ve said for years that they have extra chromosomes, South Carolina voters.” – @repjimcooper
Rep. Cooper is criticizing voters he doesn’t like by correlating them with people who have genetic trisomies, like Down syndrome or Trisomy-18.
Unacceptable.https://t.co/Wpdn0Lh3Sj
— JD Flynn (@jdflynn) November 23, 2020
Nashville Neoliberals wholeheartedly condemns this display of callousness by Rep. Cooper. Do better, man, you’re from a rural red state. You would think he’d make an effort to reach out to half of his district instead of this.
— Nashville Neoliberals ??️? (@Neolib_Nash) November 24, 2020
