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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul LePage says with a laugh that he wants to use the guillotine to execute drug dealers at public executions.
The governor's office said Tuesday the remark during a radio interview on WVOM was just a joke to illustrate his support for tougher penalties for drug crimes.
In the interview LePage laughed when he talked about using the guillotine to chop off the heads of drug traffickers.
Maine abolished capital punishment in 1887 in response to a botched hanging.
LePage in the past has voiced support for the death penalty for drug dealers.
He's also raised eyebrows repeatedly with questionable comments, including earlier this month when he said drug dealers with names like "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" come to Maine and "impregnate a young white girl before they leave."
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