Maine Gov. Tells Press He'll Never Speak to Press Again

Gov. Paul LePage isn't going anywhere, the Boston Globe reports. Nor will he be seeking "professional help." The embattled Maine governor announced on the radio Wednesday his plans to stay in office and seek "spiritual guidance" along with his family. "I'm not an alcoholic, and I'm not a drug addict, and I don't have mental issues," he said. "What I have is a backbone." LePage has faced a wave of criticism after calling state lawmaker Drew Gattine a "son-of-a-bitch, socialist cocksucker" in a vulgar voicemail, then telling reporters he wished he could shoot Gattine in a duel.

A local reporter had implied Gattine called LePage a racist for insisting more than 90% of drug dealers in the state are black or Hispanic. According to ABC News, LePage met with Gattine for less than 10 minutes Wednesday and came away convinced Gattine did not, in fact, call him a racist. Also on Wednesday, LePage accused the aforementioned reporter of a "cheap shot" and announced to all reporters that he's done with them, USA Today reports. "I will no longer speak to the press ever again after today," LePage said. He said he's "serious" about this and is tired of "the gotcha moments." “You folks live in a seven-second fiction world," LePage said. "I live in 24-hour reality." He says he'll only address the press in writing from now on. (More Paul LePage stories.)