HispanicBusiness

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader-Elect Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today about the decision by Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi to resign as Senate Majority Leader:

"The decision by Senator Lott to step down is an important step, but the Republican Party still needs to do much more to remove the issue of race and any of its symbols from our political process.

"The Republicans have repeatedly exploited the issue of race, as recently as the election in November in Georgia, where their successful campaigns for U.S. Senator and governor centered on the Confederate flag. I would hope that the leadership of the Republican Party and the President would disassociate themselves from any politics that exploited that situation. I thought what happened in Georgia was a shameful manifestation of the same sentiment that was expressed by Senator Lott."