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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A white Indiana state lawmaker has been removed from two committees after posting a meme that showed black children in diapers dancing with the caption, “We gon’ get free money!” Rep. Jim Lucas was removed from the interim study committees on elections and public policy, and demoted as vice chair of the committee on government reduction. House Speaker Todd Huston says the Facebook post was “unacceptable.” Lucas says he took the stock photo from a meme generator. He denies being a racist but says he regrets the post. Lucas says it was in response to more financial aid from Washington during the coronavirus outbreak.
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A white Indiana state lawmaker who was accused of posting something racist on Facebook last year is defending himself again after he posted a meme that showed black children in diapers dancing with the caption, “We gon’ get free money!” Republican state Rep. Jim Lucas, of Seymour, said Tuesday that he took the stock photo that he posted on his Facebook page Monday from a meme generator and contended that the language simply reflects how he and other people talk. Lucas posted the meme before Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a new coronavirus aid package totaling more than $3 trillion.