Trudeau says he didn’t recall brownface pictures

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s wary of being definitive about how many times he’s worn brown or blackface because he didn’t recall the recent pictures that have surfaced.

Trudeau at first did not answer repeated questions about how many times he wore blackface or brownface. He later said he didn’t recall the pictures that surfaced over the last day.

Trudeau’s campaign moved to contain a growing furor Thursday after a yearbook photo surfaced of him in brownface at a 2001 “Arabian Nights” costume party and two other similar incidents came to light.

With his bid for re-election just a month away, the 47-year-old Trudeau begged Canadians to forgive him.

Trudeau says he’s hurt people that thought he was an ally. He says he is an ally to visible minorities and it is something he deeply regrets and shouldn’t have done.

He says it does not represent the person or leader he has become. He says he never talked about it publicly because he’s embarrassed. He says he comes from a place of privilege.