Tea Party Group Demands Apology From NPR Exec

By Rachel Christiansen

The head of a major Tea Party group is demanding an apology from Ron Schiller, an NPR executive who was caught on tape making unkind remarks about the Tea Party.

“I can’t think of a time in recent history when a group of Americans have been so vilified and denigrated by a person who is supposedly serving the public’s interest,” Amy Kremer, chair of the Tea Party Express, said in a statement Wednesday. 

On the tape, Schiller can be heard and suggesting that members of the Tea Party are racist, unintelligent and xenophobic. The sting was organized by conservative activist Joe O’keefe.

“The tea party is composed of hardworking American citizens of every race, creed, and religion, whose taxes help fund NPR and pay Schiller’s salary,” Kremer said.

Kremer added that his comments prove the need to stop all federal funding for NPR and, in a closing jab, adds “Regardless of Mr. Schiller’s future employment prospects, we highly recommend he undergo sensitivity training to discover why he is prone to express such unenlightened rhetoric.”

Schiller has previously announced that he is leaving NPR for the Aspen Institute.