Photo by OK-59 via Flickr Creative Commons
The Asian American community in Nevada and its advocates are condemning comments made about Gov. Steve Sisolak’s wife Kathy, KLAS-TV reports.
Nye County Commissioner Donna Cox, a member of the Republican party, accused the Democratic governor’s wife of profiting from the pandemic via a company her family owned in China, Reno Gazette-Journal reports. Cox implied that Gov. Sisolak was motivated to reinstate the mask mandate because his wife’s family would profit.
The AAPI Democratic Caucus of Nevada released a statement condemning Cox’s remarks and demanding accountability.
“Hate is a virus we don’t have a vaccine for,” the caucus wrote.
Gov. Sisolak defended his wife and the AAPI community in a statement posted to Twitter. He also called on state Republican leaders to “join [him] in calling out this bigotry.”
The Nevada Senate Republican Caucus called Cox’s comments about First Lady Sisolak “hurtful and misleading.”
“Nevadans expect our public officials to conduct themselves at a higher standard,” the caucus wrote in a tweet. “The county commissioner who made the bigoted and disrespectful comments should apologize immediately.”
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story or making a contribution.