Prompted by an anonymous fax, last March Gov. Paul LePage ordered the removal of the History of Labor in Maine Mural from the Department of Labor building. It was later learned that the mural was packaged in crates and stored in a closet in the building.
Here LePage responds to questions regarding his decision to remove the mural:
On Monday, responding to a question from NBC anchor Brian Williams, LePage had another explanation for his decision:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Listen carefully to what LePage says:
My objection to the mural is simply where the money came from. The money was taken out of the unemployment insurance fund which is dedicated to provide benefits to unemployed workers. They robbed that account to build that mural. Until the pay for it, it stays hidden.
At a Town Hall meeting last March in Newcastle, LePage provided more detail of the funding for the mural, claiming that $38,000 came from the Federal Government and the remaining $22,000 from Maine's Unemployment Insurance Fund.
Should this $22,000 be repaid to the Unemployment Insurance Fund, wouldn't Gov. LePage have to keep his word and return the mural to its original location?