Perry rebuts Washington Post's story on racial slur

Texas governor Rick Perry has rebutted a story in Sunday's Washington Post that alleges the Texas governor hosted guests at a racially named location.

The Post published a story titled "At Rick Perry’s Texas hunting spot, camp’s old racially charged name lingered." The story centered on Perry inviting lawmakers to a West Texas hunting camp that went by the name "Niggerhead" on a large rock right outside its entrance.

The Perry campaign vehemently pushed back on the story, with communications director Ray Sullivan issuing a statement.

"A number of claims made in the story are incorrect, inconsistent, and anonymous, including the implication that Rick Perry brought groups to the lease when the word on the rock was still visible. The one consistent fact in the story is that the word on a rock was painted over and obscured many years ago."

He added: "Governor Perry and his family never owned, controlled or managed the property referenced in the Washington Post story. The 42,000-acre ranch is owned by the Hendricks Home for Children, a West Texas charity."

"Perry’s father painted over offensive language on a rock soon after leasing the 1,000-acre parcel in the early 1980s. When Governor Perry was party to the hunting lease from 1997 to 2007, the property was described as northern pasture. He has not been to the property since 2006."

The Post's story describes witnesses telling a different account, indicating that the name on the rock was still present during the time Perry was associated with the property.