Mitch McConnell 'OK' with renaming military bases but rejects idea to remove Confederate statues from Capitol
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, June 16, told the media that he was okay with renaming military bases that are named after Confederate leaders though he did not want the removal of the Confederate statues located in the Capitol. While the 78-year-old made his position on the renaming issue clear saying he is okay with taking another look at the names, he was opposed to the idea of airbrushing the Capitol and scrubbing out everything from years ago that had any connection with slavery.
McConnell’s stance was contradictory to both President Donald Trump who recently said he is against the idea of renaming the military bases that commemorate the controversial Confederate leaders and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has demanded the removal of Confederate statues from the Capitol. Speaking to Politico, McConnell, an influential senator from Kentucky, said: “If It’s appropriate to take another look at these names, I’m personally OK with that — and I am a descendant of a Confederate veteran myself. With regard to military bases, whatever is ultimately decided, I don’t have a problem with.”
He then added, noting a handful of American presidents owned slaves: “What I do think is clearly a bridge too far is this nonsense that we need to airbrush the Capitol and scrub out everybody from years ago who had any connection to slavery.” Each state in America sends two statues to the Capitol building and they can be switched out any time. Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt, who chairs the Senate Rules Committee, said seven states are in the middle of the action to remove certain statues from the Capitol.
Call for removal of statues has gained traction on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of the widespread protests against the killing of a black American named George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. A number of statues of Confederate leaders have already been toppled and Pelosi sought that 11 Confederate statues in the Capitol be also removed immediately. “While I believe it is imperative that we never forget our history lest we repeat it, I also believe that there is no room for celebrating the violent bigotry of the men of the Confederacy in the hallowed halls of the United States Capitol or in places of honor across the country,” Pelosi wrote.
Senate body has pushed to rename military bases
On the issue of renaming the military bases, the Senate Armed Services Committee last week approved an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would need the Pentagon to rename those installations. The committee’s move came just hours after Trump vowed not to rename them as according to him, it would mean tampering with history. Massachusetts Democratic Senator and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, who is also a member of the committee, offered the amendment. She tweeted: “I filed an amendment to the annual defense bill last week to rename all bases named for Confederate generals. It's long past time to end the tribute to white supremacy on our military installations.” But Trump has set up a potential veto threat as Congress prepares to send the defense bill to his desk.