Alabama Councilman In Hot Water After Asking If 'There's A House N*gger In Here' During Meeting

The Alabama Democratic Party is calling on Tarrant City Councilman John “Tommy” Bryant to resign after the lawmaker used the phrase “house n-----” during a council meeting Monday night, leading to widespread condemnation.

“Do we have a house n---- in here?” Bryant asked during the council meeting, which was recorded. “Do we? Do we?”

The councilman later said he was only repeating what Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton, the city’s first Black mayor, called City Councilwoman Veronica Freeman.

In an interview Tuesday night with WVTM, Bryant said there was a difference between his use of the n-word and Newton’s alleged use of it.

“He said it in a derogatory manner, I said it so people would know what the mayor said,” Bryant said. “The mayor was being derogatory toward Veronica Freeman when he said that.”

Earlier Tuesday, Newton told AL.com in a statement: “The video speaks for itself.” He could not be reached later Tuesday about whether he used the n-word toward Freeman.

Freeman also could not be reached.