Republican Matt Bevin accuses newspaper of 'overt racism' after cartoon likens adopted children to terrorists

The cartoonist has defended the drawing and said he was attacking the politician's stance on refugees

Bevin and his wife, Glenna, have nine children. Four were adopted from Ethiopia. (MattBevin.com)

The man elected to serve as Kentucky’s next governor has accused a local newspaper of “overt racism” after it published a cartoon that likened his adopted children to terrorists.

Republican Matt Bevin, a conservative Republican elected earlier this month, hit out at the Lexington Herald-Leader after it printed a cartoon that related to his opposition to allowing Syrian refugees to settle in the state until further safety checks were carried out.

The cartoon showed a nervous Mr Bevin cowering under his desk and shaking. Meanwhile, an aide tells him: “Sir, they’re not terrorists ... they’re your own adopted kids.”

Mr Bevin, who will take office next month, has nine children, four of whom were adopted from Ethiopia. The cartoon immediately sparked criticism online from those who felt it was inappropriate.

On Thursday, Mr Bevin also tweeted about the cartoon and issued a statement condemning both the cartoonist, Joel Pett, and the newspaper.

“They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Indeed, today, the Lexington Herald-Leader chose to articulate with great clarity the deplorably racist ideology of “cartoonist” Joel Pett,” it said.

“Shame on Mr Pett for his deplorable attack on my children and shame on the editorial controls that approved this overt racism.

“Let me be crystal clear, the tone of racial intolerance being struck by the Herald-Leader has no place in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and will not be tolerated by our administration.”

Cartoonist Joel Pett said his work had sparked a number of controversies over the years

Mr Pett later defended the drawing, saying that during his career his cartoons had often sparked controversy.

“[I’ve been through these] little controversies many times in my 30 years at the Lexington Herald-Leader and I suspect this is the first time for Gov-elect Bevin,” he told WKYT.

"My guess would be that when he has time to think about it, he will probably realise that it's not in his best interest to rise to the bait every time somebody criticises him or it's going to be a long four years,” he said.

“I liked the piece and I still like it. The strongest possible way I could think of to denounce the efforts to blame Syrian refugees for these attacks in Paris, which were in fact carried out by kids who were born and raised in Paris.”

When asked whether children should be off limits, Mr Pett said: “Well, it's important to point out that the cartoon was not about his children.

Syrian refugees arrive on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey on a inflatable dinghy on September 11, 2015 (AFP)

"It was about him and his fear for Syrian refugees.”

Mr Pett posted a column late on Thursday on his paper's website acknowledging the backlash and defending the cartoon.

“Did I push the envelope by chiding Gov-elect Matt Bevin for jumping on the anti-Syrian refugee bandwagon? Sure, and I did so deliberately,” he wrote.

“I did use the fact that he has children from another country in a piece designed to express outrage over a legitimate hot-button political issue.”

The controversy comes amid a national debate within the US about the issue of whether to permt the settlement of refugees fleeing Syria, which has suffered from the violence of more than four years of civil war. President Barack Obama has said he wants to admit 10,000 refugees within a year, after close vetting.

But a number of Republicans have suggested Mr Obama is allow too many to enter. The governors of more than 30 states have said they do not want refugees from Syria and will do all they can to block them. The current governor of Kentucky, Democrat Steve Beshear, said refugees were welcome there, but only while he remains in charge.

Mr Bevin has said he does want them in his state. "The recent terrorist attacks in Paris serve as a warning to the entire civilised world that we must remain vigilant," Mr Bevin said earlier this week, according to the Associated Press.

"This is why I am joining with other governors across the country in opposing the resettlement of Syrian nationals."