Sen. Mitch McConnell's attempts to backtrack his remark about Black voters aren't flying with some people ... especially the leader of Black Voters Matter.
LaTosha Brown, who co-founded the group, tells TMZ ... the Senate Minority Leader's comments weren't shocking, but most certainly disturbing, because she says the comment was rooted in racism.
She admits McConnell probably didn't intend to say what he said, but LaTosha believes that's what he believes ... so, it just came out. As she puts it, "The lips will betray the heart."
As you know, Sen. McConnell's come under fire for the comment that certainly sounded like he doesn't view Black people as Americans. He said, "Well, the concern is misplaced, because if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans."
What made it even worse was the fact he said it just before leading the push to defeat the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the Senate. In fact, McConnell was attempting to explain why he thinks there's no need for the legislation.
While doing damage control, the Senator said he'd simply misspoken -- but LaTosha sees it as less of a gaffe, and more like a slip of the truth.