An Idaho lawmaker compared state social distancing executive orders to the actions of the Nazi regime during World War II.
Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott said government orders that categorize some workers and businesses as nonessential remind of her of when the Nazi regime put minority groups on trains to concentration camps.
“And when you have government telling you that your business is essential or nonessential … we have a problem there. I mean, that’s no different than Nazi Germany, where you had government telling people, ‘You are an essential worker or nonessential worker,” Scott said during an appearance on The Jess Fields Show. “And the nonessential workers got put on a train,” she continued, referring to Nazi concentration camps.
Scott also asserted Idaho Gov. Brad Little did not have the authority to contradict the Constitution, saying residents are calling the Republican governor “little Hitler.”
Idaho Democrats later blasted Scott for her comments on social media, saying the statement demonstrates an “extreme display of ignorance.”
“This extreme display of ignorance and lack of respect in Rep. Scott’s recent comments regarding Idaho’s stay-at-order cannot be overstated,” the Idaho Democrats said in a tweet.
This extreme display of ignorance and lack of respect in Rep. Scott’s recent comments regarding Idaho’s stay-at-order cannot be overstated. https://t.co/ZOjFFnPE5x #Idpol #Idleg
— Idaho Democrats (@IdahoDems) April 17, 2020
According to the New York Times, there have been more than 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas and about 45 deaths. Effective March 25, all Idaho residents are required to abide by a stay-at-home order until at least Thursday, April 30.
More than 2.4 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus globally. Of those, more than 167,000 have died from it, and more than 635,000 have recovered. The United States has seen at least 761,000 confirmed cases, with more than 40,600 deaths and nearly 70,900 reported recoveries. More than 3,893,815 people have been tested for the virus, according to the latest reading of the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
