A US politician who went viral after slurring her words during a televised interview has admitted that she drank three beers beforehand but ‘wasn’t that intoxicated’.
Jaime West, a Democratic candidate running for Fayette County Council in Indiana, has addressed the viral footage of her speaking that prompted speculation over whether she had been drinking.
During the interview, she vowed to fire ‘all Republicans’ if elected, adding: ‘I don’t even like them.’
She also took aim at the MAGA movement, declaring: ‘We have guns, too.’
Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Monday, West admitted to drinking three beers.
Morgan asked: ‘A lot of people, I’m gonna be completely straight with you, a lot of people assumed you might’ve had a drink before you did that interview. Did you?’
West replied: ‘I had a Coors Light. I had a beer,’ before then saying: ‘I was nervous, okay? I was going in a room with full Republicans.’
Morgan then asked her to be ‘completely honest and transparent’ about how much she had drunk, to which she replied: ‘Alright, three.’
After Morgan repeated ‘three beers’, she then confirmed: ‘Three beers.’
Morgan presenter went on to ask whether she accepted that she might have been ‘a little intoxicated’.
West insisted she ‘wasn’t that intoxicated’, adding: ‘But I do know what I’m talking about when it comes to Indiana politics.’
She also stood by her comments about Republicans, telling Morgan she says such things ‘all the time’ and is ‘not friends’ with her Republican colleagues.
West is running for a seat on Fayette County Council, representing District 4.