ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley is calling out a primary election opponent for state auditor general over a video in which the Philadelphia-based candidate accused him of racism.
Social media posts have circulated online showing a Jan. 23 Ring video clip of state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta meeting with a voter and telling her Pinsley does not care for Black people.
Kenyatta, Pinsley and state Rep. Mark Rozzi of Berks County are seeking the Democratic nomination for state auditor general. The Democratic nominee will face Republican incumbent Tim DeFoor, who is unopposed for his party's nomination.
In the video, Kenyatta is shown in the home of an individual talking about the campaign. He says, “and so for auditor general, at least in the primary… I don’t think we have an opponent.”
“There’s the guy Mark Pinsley, who I told you don’t like Black people. He’s still running. So we’ll see if he can get on the ballot. I have no idea. He is from the Lehigh Valley. We will see if he can get on the ballot… I don’t know.”State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta in video
The woman agrees with Kenyatta, saying, “No, we know you don’t have an opponent,” before Kenyatta brings up Pinsley.
“There’s the guy Mark Pinsley, who I told you don’t like Black people," Kenyatta says. "He’s still running.
"So we’ll see if he can get on the ballot. I have no idea. He is from the Lehigh Valley. We will see if he can get on the ballot… I don’t know.”
'Oh my God, that can't be real'
Pinsley said he became aware of the footage last week when he saw it on the Facebook page of Jon Hankins, a Democratic candidate for the 181st House District, noting his initial reaction to the post was “dismay.”
“To be honest, the first time I watched it, I couldn't believe it. I'm like, ‘God, that can't be real ...'"Mark Pinsley, Lehigh County controller and state auditor general candidate
“To be honest, the first time I watched it, I couldn't believe it," Pinsley said. "I'm like, ‘God, that can't be real, I’m going to have to go watch this again later, because I was looking at it on my phone.
"So then I sent it to my computer just to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing and hearing. And yeah, this should not be the party of the Democrats, right? That’s the other party, where they’re lying about each other. This is not how Democrats treat each other.”
Kenyatta’s office did not respond to a call seeking comment.
Hankins released a statement on his Facebook page accusing Kenyatta of being “engaged in acts of voter intimidation and coercion, which could have serious consequences on the democratic process.”
“Representative Kenyatta has purportedly been visiting voters’ homes with the intention of pressuring them to convince other candidates to drop out of the race," Hankins’ post reads.
"Furthermore, it is claimed that he has discouraged support for opposing candidates. This behavior creates an alarming atmosphere of fear and manipulation, leaving voters and committee members hesitant to support candidates who stand against Representative Kenyatta.”
The post concludes with a call for constituents to “vote him out” and for Kenyatta to resign.
'Doesn't show good temperament'
Individuals have responded to shared posts of the video with disbelief concerning Kenyatta’s conduct.
“Why would anyone believe Mark Pinsley doesn't like our black and brown community?" posted Enid Santiago, board president at SELF Women’s Reentry Allentown.
"Mark has tirelessly fought and put himself on the line for people that look just like me and the community I served.”
"His lack of understanding of these words, and what the impact they have, obviously, on my family, on families across Pennsylvania, are really troubling, because this is just immature, and doesn't show good temperament."Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, regarding opponent state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta
Pinsley said the video was “in stark contrast to what [Kenyatta] presents himself as, a unifier.”
“But his lack of understanding of these words, and what the impact they have, obviously, on my family, on families across Pennsylvania, are really troubling, because this is just immature, and doesn't show good temperament," Pinsley said.
Kenyatta's campaign for auditor general is based on "being serious about fixing what’s broken," according to his website.
"I’m running for Auditor General because it’s time for the underdog to be a watchdog for Pennsylvania’s working families," Kenyatta said on the site.
"To ask the tough questions, to help reimagine and streamline government, and to help build the coalitions to fix what’s wrong."
Pinsley's statewide campaign has also faced scrutiny.
According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, signatures of multiple Chester County Democratic voters — including some elected officials — on the nominating petition of Pinsley were forged.
The Chester County District Attorney's Office confirmed to the Inquirer that it is investigating. Pinsley’s campaign manager, Mariel Martin, told the newspaper the campaign is doing an internal investigation and declined further comment.
