GOD BLESS AMERICA

Story at a glance

• A 21-foot statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va., was removed on Wednesday.
• Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced his plans to remove the statue last year.
• Missouri state Rep. Tony Lovasco (R) said the “reprehensible” statues of former President Lincoln should be torn down in the name of fairness.

Missouri state Rep. Tony Lovasco (R) said the “reprehensible” statues of former President Lincoln should be torn down in the name of fairness following the removal of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s statue in Richmond, Va., this week.

“If we insist on tearing down statues of reprehensible people, let’s at least be fair and balanced about it,” Lovasco tweeted.

If we insist on tearing down statues of reprehensible people, let’s at least be fair and balanced about it. https://t.co/pM91NdcEup pic.twitter.com/V5lgPwucdr

— Rep. Tony Lovasco (MO-64) (@tonylovasco) September 9, 2021

The 21-foot-tall bronze statue of Lee was removed on Wednesday, more than a year after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced his plans to do so.

“Virginia’s largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week,” Northam said in a press release on Monday. “This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as a commonwealth.”

Lovasco followed up on his initial tweet, writing, “It’s unfortunate how many people think saying ‘Lincoln was reprehensible’ equals some kind of support for the Confederacy, especially given the context of my tweet. It’s quite possible to point out that neither Lincoln nor Lee where [sic] good people deserving of honor.”