Kamala Harris Apologizes After Appearing to Laugh at Anti-Disability Slur

Harris said she "didn’t hear the words the man used in that moment, but if I had I would’ve stopped and corrected him"

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. and a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, apologized Saturday for laughing and saying "well said" in response to a man who described President Donald Trump's actions as "mentally retarded."

"When my staff played the video from my town hall yesterday, it was upsetting," she tweeted. "I didn’t hear the words the man used in that moment, but if I had I would’ve stopped and corrected him. I’m sorry. That word and others like it aren’t acceptable. Ever." 

The senator told NBC News that, "I would never condone that kind of language being spoken by anybody about anybody. It is offensive. I have worked my entire career to do a number of things including to ensure our disability community receives the dignity and the rights that they deserve."

Footage of her response drew rebuke online. The exchange took place at a Friday town hall in New Hampshire, where a man who identified himself as being from Chennai, India, said, "Somehow a racist bigot gets into the White House and then he says if you're not my color you need to go back to your own country."

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