The NAACP accused Maine Gov. Paul LePage of inflaming "racial tension" Friday after the governor turned down a request to attend the group's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations and subsequently told his critics to "kiss my butt." 

The Republican governor had declined an invitation to attend the NAACP's MLK dinner in Portland on Sunday night and the MLK breakfast in Orono on Monday because of prior commitments. Asked about the decision, LePage told a reporter that the NAACP is a "special interest ... and I'm not going to be held hostage by any special interests." 

LePage also said "there's only so many hours in the day." He said if critics want to play the "race card," they should come to his house and meet Devon Richard, a 25-year-old black Jamaican that LePage took into his family at the age of 17. 

In response, NAACP CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous accused the governor of stepping over the line. 

"Governor Le Page's decision to inflame racial tension on the eve of the King holiday denigrates his office," he said. "His words are a reminder of the worst aspects of Maine's history and out of touch with our nation's deep yearning for increased civility and racial healing." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.