Salem, Ore. – Today, Senate Republicans called upon the Oregon Senate to immediately censure State Senator Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro) following offensive comments he made at a constituent meeting on April 25, 2015. Under pressure to defend his stance on gun rights to constituents in attendance, Senator Riley responded to a question regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold slavery in the nineteenth century by saying, “They were right for the time.”
“As President Lincoln said, ‘If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong,'” said Senator Jackie Winters (R-Salem). “It is unacceptable to treat slavery as a distant memory when hundreds of thousands of women and children are enslaved in human trafficking worldwide and racial tensions still erupt in communities across America. Senator Riley’s constituents deserve better and he should be held accountable.”
The constituent coffee came shortly after Riley voted to limit the Second Amendment rights of Oregonians. In 2014, Everytown for Gun Safety, a national organization promoting tighter gun laws, contributed $75,000 to Riley’s election campaign. Senate Republicans noted that multiple out-of-state special interests, including environmental radicals and gun control activists, funded a significant portion of Riley’s Senate race.
“The Senate cannot allow offensive, irresponsible comments made by one of our members,” said Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day). “The Senate must take swift action to let Oregonians know they can expect better from their elected officials. We hope that our colleagues across the aisle will join us in upholding the standard of decorum that has long defined the character of the Oregon Senate. Silence from Senate leadership on this matter is unacceptable.”
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