Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday that he will need help from the Republican-controlled General Assembly and local officials to remove Confederate monuments around the state.
McAuliffe said Tuesday that he was encouraging the removal of those monuments after last weekend’s violence in Charlottesville.
“Unfortunately, the recent events in Charlottesville demonstrate that monuments celebrating the leadership of the Confederacy have become flashpoints for hatred, division, and violence,” McAuliffe said.
But on CBS Thursday morning, he said he doesn’t have the authority to do that himself.
“I don’t have the authority to do that with monuments,” he said. “Local control, local jurisdictions, as well as the general assembly, would control it.”
Its time for these monuments to come down. Its time for us to move together after what happened in Charlottesville, Gov. McAuliffe says pic.twitter.com/BH7vIJ2MMm— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 17, 2017
He said he’s been touring the state since last weekend to encourage people to remove the monuments.
“They need to come down,” he said. “They’re divisive symbols.”
Virginia is one of 29 states where Republicans have full control over the state legislature.
