Nikki Haley sees support, criticism following comments on Confederate flag removal
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley took to Twitter over the weekend to defend comments made during an interview about the Confederate flag being removed from the statehouse grounds.
In a series of tweets, Haley said, “Sad that the outrage media has gone crazy about my recent interview with Glenn Beck. What I said was accurate. Many in South Carolina did see the Confederate flag as symbolizing heritage and many others saw it as a symbolling (sic) hate. That’s why it was such a difficult issue for so long.”
Her tweet continued, “I am proud of our state for coming together to remove the flag from our statehouse. If the outrage peddlers in the liberal media are really interested in my views on the flag, instead of distorting them, they should read the first two chapters of my book.”
In an interview with Glenn Beck promoting her new book, Haley said for some people in South Carolina, the flag stands for “service, sacrifice and heritage.”
A tweet from the group Media Matters showed the clip of the interview and attributed the quote directly to Haley. Supporters of the former governor said the tweet took her comments out of context, attributing them to her personal beliefs rather than speaking on behalf of some South Carolinians.
A look back at Haley’s remarks about the Confederate flag in 2015 shows her stance is virtually unchanged.
In a 2015 speech before the flag was removed, Haley said, “In no way does he reflect the people in our state who respect it, and, in many ways revere it. Those South Carolinians view the flag as a symbol of respect, integrity, and duty.”
People offered varying opinions on social media. One user said. “Of course I don’t agree with her. The flag represents racism, then and now.”
Another user said, “The flag and statues have been up for decades and nobody did anything about them until Dylan Roof came along and now all of a sudden they’re “offensive.”
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