CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A Democratic state lawmaker accused of repeatedly using a racial slur to intimidate a young Black man in New Hampshire has apologized.
Rep. Nicole Klein-Knight, of Manchester, was removed from the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Jan. 31 at the request of Democratic leaders after a dozen Black, brown and Indigenous community organizers issued a letter condemning her.
The group said Klein-Knight accosted a young Black organizer after he testified on a bill, using a racial slur multiple times to make her point. In an email to the young man Tuesday, she said she realized that was wrong.
“I immediately regretted it, and agree that no one should be using that language, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the pain it has caused,” she wrote. “If you ever want to have a discussion with me about this I will be more than happy to do so, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Klein-Knight, who is in her second term, also said she had been advised to remain silent until House officials completed their inquiry of the man’s ethics complaint. The young man who filed the complaint did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.