A debate in the New York State Senate became heated on Wednesday when a member of the Independent Democratic Conference, Sen. Marisol Alcantara, said a fellow Democrat's comments showed his "white privilege."
Alcantara's remarks came after mainline Democrat Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris criticized the IDC for being "Trump Democrats," according to the Times Union.
The debate occurred during budget discussions when Gianaris called the IDC's budget resolution, "Republican Lite."
"The Republicans are choosing which Democrats they want to hear from. And it’s no surprise when that happens that they’re picking the group that the Daily News called Donald Trump’s New York Democrats," he continued.
Alcantara made a tweet to express her issues with Gianaris's statements, writing, "I've had enough of people playing politics on Sen Floor."
I've had enough of people playing politics on Sen Floor. Real lives are affected by Trump policies, including mine. https://t.co/dIQv5NPevq
— Marisol Alcantara (@NY31Alcantara) March 15, 2017
Alcantara responded by saying Gianaris was "name-calling," before going after Gianaris's education and race.
"We can agree to disagree on issues, economic issues, my political views, your religious views, but when we start name-calling people, I have a problem. Sen. Gianaris called me and my colleagues Trump [Democrats]," Alcantara said.
"I would like to remind him that at the end of the day he’s a white man with a degree from Harvard. And I refuse to have him use his white privilege to accuse me," she continued.
Gianaris also commented on the incident, saying, "There was a colleague here who talked about me, who frankly knows nothing about me." He then went into detail about his own heritage.