Florida Dem party chair ranted about 'these black lawmakers' being 'like children': report

Stephen Bittel, the chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, has come under fire after he allegedly ranted against a group of black lawmakers for being "like children."

Florida State Sen. Oscar Braynon tells the Miami Herald that he was told by fellow Florida Democratic Sen. Lauren Book that Bittel went off on a rant against black lawmakers in the state after they objected to his decision to scrap a portion of a Saturday night fundraiser where Braynon and Florida Rep. Janet Cruz would introduce members of their caucuses.

Bittel wanted to cut this portion of the event because former Vice President Joe Biden, who was attending the fundraiser, wanted to leave early so he could spend time with his wife, Jill Biden, on the night of their 40th wedding anniversary.

"He said, 'They’re like children, these black lawmakers. They just don’t get it,'" Braynon said, relaying what Book told him. "'I raised more money in this amount of time than they ever could.'"

Braynon also fumed that Bittel had "the audacity of calling me a black child" when he raised objections to Bittel's plans.

Although Bittel has not confirmed that he railed against black lawmakers as a whole, he did formally apologize to Braynon for telling him that he was acting like "a 3-year-old."