Senate Minority Leader Batch and House Rep. Alston drop profane video aimed at Republicans
Sen. Minority Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) acted as an "anger interpreter"
Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) and House Rep. Vernetta Alston (D-Durham) put out an Instagram reel loaded with insults and barely bleeped f-bombs directed at Republicans, but that profanity was also directed at Opportunity Scholarship Program families.
The f-bombs and foul language Batch uses are only partially bleeped out in some instances and at one point Batch calls Republicans "a bunch of little f*cking pussies," who can't pass a budget.
Batch, is a former House member appointed to the Senate to fill Sam Searcy’s seat in 2021 and was reelected to the seat in subsequent elections.
Batch doesn’t stop with Republicans and goes on to attack the Opportunity Scholarship Program.
Batch said the program is for "rich kids can be taught history” and “with our f*cking tax dollars.”
The Opportunity Scholarship Program gives grants for over 100K students to help pay for private school. The program has mainly served low-income kids, who get the largest awards and on a priority basis.
The reel was filmed inside the General Assembly in one of their two offices, it's unclear which one. I’ve emailed both Batch and Alston asking about that as well as who came up with the idea and if they considered disciplinary repercussions for such conduct. Neither has responded yet.
I’ve also asked House and Senate leadership about it but have not yet heard back.
Maybe these lawmakers thought it was edgy or funny, but based on the comments, it seems like this was really only successful in scoring points with their base.
Watch the video for yourself:
UPDATE: House leadership is calling on the House minority leader to discipline Rep. Alston over misuse of General Assembly resources and language unbecoming members of the legislature:
The Wake GOP has issued a statement echoing Jones’ sentiments and calling for an investigation.
Batch and Alston have so far ignored the questions and request for comment I sent them yesterday afternoon. House Minority Leader Robert Reives’ communications point of contact has not responded to me yet either.
Batch apparently did respond to Business NC, which reports she said she’s “perfectly fine with what I did” and also said, “apparently some people don’t understand satire.”
Business NC also reported Batch responded to Jones’ call for Reives to take action by drawing in President Trump and then mocking prayer.
She said criticism of the video was “so rich coming from the party that has this president who drops every other word that is offensive and much worse than what I said. So they can go ahead and kick rocks, pound sand or do whatever they want. They can go ahead and pray for me in their prayer circle.”
Business NC also includes a dry retort from Senate Leader Berger who said he isn’t going to watch it and he was “glad she had something to do.”