Cross-posted from Blue Virginia articles Audio: Gov. Youngkin’s New Appointee to the VA Board of Historic Resources Says Robert E. Lee Was a “Morally Fine Human Being”; “Secession Was NOT Treason”; the North’s “Invasion” of the South Was “just like we see Russia invading Ukraine”; etc.; DPVA Chair Susan Swecker Rips “disgusting remarks from a Youngkin appointee” Comparing the Union During the Civil War to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Defending Secession, etc. and Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA04): “Extremist” Youngkin Pick for Historic Resources Board “shows a blatant disregard for Virginia’s sordid history with racism”
The other day, I wrote about Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new, Confederate-monuments-defending appointment to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. Among other things, Youngkin’s appointee, Ann McLean, claimed that Thomas Jefferson “really loved many of the people that he cared for and his laborers”; claimed that criticism of Jefferson is “going back to Karl Marx”; cited a debunked book about Jefferson by “Christian nationalist” David Barton; etc. So this morning, McLean went on right-wing talk radio (WRVA) and had some more, er, “interesting” things to day, this time about the push by Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Don Beyer to end Arlington House’s “Robert E. Lee Memorial” designation. According to McLean:
- Robert E. Lee was a “morally fine human being who understood the constitution of 1787.”
- The constitution was “broken when Lincoln called up 75,000 troops to fight against secession.” And, she added, “secession was not treason…each state was allowed to secede, we all had seceded from Britain…each state was like its own country, so Lee considered Virginia his country.”
- “Invasion, just like we see Russia invading Ukraine, invading a new territory was wrong. And so many people want to just flatten the whole Civil War to slavery, and of course we know slavery is not good. But I think…slavery would have been outlawed in the South within 5 or 10 years, but they wanted to do it on their time.”
Again, Youngkin appointed this Confederacy apologist – who among other things minimizes the importance of slavery and compares the United States under Abraham Lincoln to Russia under Vladimir Putin – to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources! So next time you read some idiot “journalist” blabbering on about how Youngkin’s some sort of “sane” “moderate” who’s not Trump-like at all, just remember that he’s made numerous extreme appointments to his administration (e.g., Elizabeth Schultz, Andrew Wheeler, Dr. Marty Makary, Colin Greene, Casey Flores, etc.), including this one!
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From Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA04):
McEachin Statement on Governor Youngkin’s Appointment to State Board of Historic Resources
Richmond, Va. – Today, Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) issued the following statement after Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed historian Ann Hunter McLean to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources:
“If there was any doubt that Governor Youngkin is an extremist, right-wing politician, here is another example of his inflammatory priorities in action. Since taking office, his appointments have been divisive and contradictory to the values we hold here in the Commonwealth. His latest pick in Ann Hunter McLean demonstrates a frightening lack of cultural and social wherewithal to effectively lead Virginians or steer our great Commonwealth forward.
“For years – and particularly in the wake of George Floyd – civil rights advocates, community leaders, and elected officials in Virginia fought to dismantle oppressive memorials and monuments that paid homage to the Confederacy. To appoint McLean, who has vocally defended Confederate statues and monuments since the late 1990’s, to serve on the Board of Historic Resources shows a blatant disregard for Virginia’s sordid history with racism and the work we have done as a state to rectify those long-standing harms.
“This appointment demonstrates a complete lack of understanding or empathy for the lived experiences of African Americans. Monuments to traitors have no place in our Commonwealth, and we will not allow Governor Youngkin or Ms. McLean to drag us backwards.”
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From the Democratic Party of Virginia:
Gov. Youngkin Appointee Compares the Union During Civil War to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Praises Robert E. Lee, Defends Secession
Richmond, VA – Governor Youngkin’s Appointee to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources, Ann McLean, said several disgusting comments on WRVA Radio comparing the union during the Civil War to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, praising Robert E. Lee, and defending secession.
BLUE VIRGINIA: Gov. Youngkin’s New Appointee to the VA Board of Historic Resources Says Robert E. Lee Was a “Morally Fine Human Being”; “Secession Was NOT Treason”; the North’s “Invasion” of the South Was “just like we see Russia invading Ukraine”; etc.
According to McLean:
Robert E. Lee was a “morally fine human being who understood the constitution of 1787.”
The constitution was “broken when Lincoln called up 75,000 troops to fight against secession.” And, she added, “secession was not treason…each state was allowed to secede, we all had seceded from Britain…each state was like its own country, so Lee considered Virginia his country.”
“Invasion, just like we see Russia invading Ukraine, invading a new territory was wrong. And so many people want to just flatten the whole Civil War to slavery, and of course we know slavery is not good. But I think…slavery would have been outlawed in the South within 5 or 10 years, but they wanted to do it on their time.”
DPVA Chairwoman Susan Swecker responded to the latest disgusting remarks from a Youngkin appointee:
It is appalling to see Governor Youngkin appoint someone to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources who somehow in one radio interview: 1) tried to defend secession 2) completely befuddle the language of our Constitution and 3) try to minimize the horrors of slavery with an inane statement that the south would have “phased it out” – as if one would go to war if that was the plan. And let’s not even get into her bizarre take on Russia and Ukraine.
I can’t believe that Governor Youngkin, as he prepares to launch his 2024 campaign, would knowingly appoint someone this unqualified and ignorant of history. We hope and are confident now that he is aware of this that the Governor will withdraw this appointment. We also hope Ann McLean’s advisers, for her own sake, don’t let her near a microphone again.