The Buncombe County Republican precinct chairman whose disastrous Daily Show appearance cost him his position fired back at his party leaders yesterday, saying his forced resignation proved the GOP had "no guts."

The North Carolina Republican party distanced itself from now-former official Don Yelton after the latter made several overtly racist remarks during a Daily Show segment on the state's controversial voter ID law.

Among the lowlights were Yelton's repeated use of the word "nigger," and his bemoaning of "lazy black people that wants the government to give them everything."

Even typically unfazeable Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi had to pause after a minute to ask Yelton if he was aware that he was being recorded.

"Let me make it very clear, Mr. Yelton's comments do not reflect the belief or feelings of Buncombe Republicans, nor do they mirror any core principle that our party is founded upon," said Buncombe GOP Chairman Henry Mitchell in a statement to the press. "This mentality will not be supported or propagated within our party."

On a local radio program yesterday, Yelton said he "gladly" gave up his position as precinct chair because his party had "no guts."

"The heck with it, I don't want to be part of a group that is that mealy-mouthed and that gutless," he told Asheville radio host Pete Kaliner.

Yelton also reiterated his claim that The Daily Show edited his words out of context.

However, if there was any doubt left as to Yelton's true feelings on the subject of race, they were terminally settled this morning, when The Wrap's Tim Molloy contacted him to determine if he was being unfairly portrayed as a racist by the media.

"When a nigger can use the word nigger and it not be considered racist, that’s the utmost racism in the world, and it’s hypocrisy," Yelton told Molloy.

So that settles that.

[screengrab via The Daily Show]