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UPDATE: 10/29/13 3:00 PM EST

Assemblyman Jim Wheeler has come forward to apologize for his slavery reference at a Republican gathering in August, calling the comments facetious and accusing the media of spinning what he said into something racist.

“In reality, that isn’t the case at all,” he said. “If my constituents wanted to do something as outlandish as bring back an abhorrent system, then I simply couldn’t represent them anymore. They would remove me from office, or I’d have to resign.”

“If my comments were taken with offense by anyone, I sincerely apologize. Iintended the statement as an extreme example of something unacceptable, and hope that’s how it’s taken,” he added.

SOURCE: MSNBC

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Here’s something to scare you this Halloween season.

At a Republican gathering earlier this year, Nevada lawmaker Jim Wheeler told members that he would vote to allow slavery if that’s what his constituents wanted.

Yep, that happened. A YouTube video (above) of the assemblyman addressing members of the Storey County Republican Party has surfaced this week.

“If that’s what they wanted, I’d have to hold my nose … they’d probably have to hold a gun to my head, but yeah,” Assemblyman Jim Wheeler said.

Not surprisingly, his comments were denounced by Democrats and Republicans alike.

“Assemblyman Wheeler’s comments are deeply offensive and have no place in our society,” Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement. “He should retract his remarks and apologize.”

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., called Wheeler’s comments “insensitive and wrong,” while the Assembly Democratic caucus said they were “reprehensible and disgusting.”

Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, on Twitter said Wheeler’s comments are “outrageous, they are embarrassing and they are just plain sad.”

“It’s time for Jim Wheeler to find a new line of work,” Roberson said.

But Wheeler, a freshman lawmaker, is saying that the remarks were taken out of context and make him look like a bigot.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I could never vote for something like that,” he said of slavery. “It’s disgusting. It’s beyond disgusting.”

He added, “There is absolutely no room in my life for any bigotry.”

Well, if the shoe fits. Do you think Wheeler was out of line, or just misunderstood? Sound off below…

SOURCE: Huffington Post