Pastor of Church Where Nine Were Killed Blasts Political Ad
Rev. Eric Manning, pastor of Mother Emanuel AME church condemned the political advertisement of Sheri Few for referencing the shooting incident that killed scores of his members. But the candidate of South Carolina denied this, saying she never specifically mentioned the church in her ad.
In the ad, Few is holding an assault rifle as she portrays her opposing candidates as weak for voting in favor of removing the Confederate flag on State House grounds.
"Weak politicians are too quick to blame a horrible tragedy on a flag or a gun or even free speech, and that's how bad laws are made," Few says in the video.
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Two years ago, gunman Dylann Roof attended Bible study for 45 minutes at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston. When it was time for the closing prayer, he opened fire and killed nine black members for which he was sentenced to death last Jan. 11 on federal hate crimes.
"We lived the events of June 17, 2015, and now someone wants to utilize our pain for their political gain," Manning said. "To be very honest, the events of a racist committing murder is something that should never be utilized to advance someone's political career. There's just no call for that. I think it is distasteful, to be very candid and direct."
Few, who lives in Kershaw County, is one of seven Republicans running for a House seat that was vacated Mick Mulvaney after he became director of the Office of Management and Budget. The ad was uploaded online Wednesday, April 19, and is due to start running this weekend on cable channels in the district centered south of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The new ad is a follow-up of a previous one where Few bashed her opponents for voting to take down the Confederate flag. She denied making it to offend Emanuel AME church.
"I am a Christian. I love those people," she said. "That's why I support the death penalty for that sick, deranged man. And I hope a liberal judge doesn't get in the way."
