KKK comments draw fire from Mahoning Democrats

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman David Betras said he was “dismayed” to read a comment from Columbiana County GOP Chairman Dave Johnson that if a Ku Klux Klan member was at a public rally, the Donald Trump campaign wouldn’t thrown that person out.

Johnson made the statement in a Vindicator column today about Trump’s campaign rejecting the comments of Kathy Miller, the Republican presidential nominee’s former Mahoning County chairwoman, who resigned after making controversial comments about race and African-Americans.

On a conference call with local black leaders, Betras said the Trump campaign “should do everything they can to keep the KKK out of their rallies.”

The black leaders primarily spoke about Miller and Trump’s campaign embracing racism, something Johnson has said isn’t accurate.

Johnson said today, “I should not have said ‘the KKK,’” but criticized the columnist for including his statement.

For the complete story, read Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com