Joni Ernst: Tearing Down Statues ‘Has Gone Far Enough’

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Tuesday pushed back against the movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis to vandalize and tear down statues, some of which were Confederate leaders or once owned slaves.

With statues all across the country coming down, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that action would be taken against those who desecrate monuments. Ernst said on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” that the tearing down of statues “has gone far enough” and called for a restoration of “law and order” on the streets.

“I think this has gone far enough,” Ernst advised. “We need to restore law and order here in the United States, and of course, we support protests. There are still some folks that are out there protesting police brutality and racial injustice, but peaceful protest is what we are looking for — dialogue. And what we are seeing is plain old vandalism. That is not protest, that is vandalism. So again, we need to restore law and order and have healthy dialogue, not what we are seeing on the streets today.”

“[L]et’s have some real discussion, let’s sit down and work through the issues. We are not going to find it by vandalizing statues. We are not going to find it by inciting violence in the streets. That’s not how we will come to resolution,” she added.

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