A Korean American once considered a rising star in the Republican Party on Monday lashed out at the Grand Old Party.
Kurt Bardella appeared on The Morning Joe Show on MSNBC Monday to talk about the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes.
A recent report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found anti-Asian hate crimes in 16 major cities increased 149% last year. The group found 49 incidents in 2019 and 122 last year.
Bardella expressed anger at the standing ovation the former president received from the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida two weeks ago.
“It’s crazy that in 2021, we could watch … a former president of the United States use the word ‘China virus’ … and watch a bunch of White, male Republicans stand there and give a standing ovation and cheer when he says that. To people who look like me, you’re putting a target on our back,” CBS MarketWatch quoted Bardella as saying on Morning Joe.
“There’s a reason why this widespread violence is happening, and it’s being incited by the Republican party.”
Bardella quit the Republican Party and joined the Democrats in 2017 after Trump strongly backed a candidate accused of sexual harassment and child molestation. At the time, Bardella said the GOP “no longer stands for anything.”
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