By JOSELYN KING
The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register
WHEELING, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Monday condemned the recent actions of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. in protesting the removal of a Civil War statue, but he urged caution against eliminating historical items some find offensive.
Justice spoke on a variety of topics during a news conference Monday, which came a week after protesters took to the State Capitol grounds asking that a statue of Stonewall Jackson be removed.
“I think it’s despicable what happened in Charlottesville — there’s no question whatsover in any shape or fashion.” Justice said. “I am really sympathetic to people who feel harmed or threatened or bad about things that recall the past. I’m compassionate to their feelings.
“But…it’s complex. I think we have to give it some time.”
Justice said he fears removing a statue at the call of one group could lead to “a fallout” of other groups making similar requests to eliminate historical items they find distasteful.
“Before you know it, you’re getting rid of every single bit of any kind of history we have,” he said.
Still he condemned the action of neo-Nazi and white supremacy groups in Charlottesville.
“What place does that have in our society? It doesn’t. It just plain doesn’t,” Justice said.
He urged all groups to just “be respectful.”
“Don’t get carried away,” he said. “Let’s just find the right pathways that are the right ways to makes things work for everyone.”
Justice also addressed a recent illness and his stay at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He said he had been running a fever early last week, and antibiotics failed to alleviate the issue. His family doctor told him he had a viral infection.
“I have life-long friends at Johns Hopkins,” he said. “If I had an ingrown toenail, I would take off to them.”
Justice was advised to rest, but he said he had never taken a sick day before. He continued to consult with new chief of staff Mike Hall.
“I have been engaged,” he said. “I was not missing in action.”
Justice was asked if more staff changes would result following his recent change from Democrat to Republican party status, and he answered, “Probably so.”
“The people who work with me… we have got to have the same views, the same goals and we’ve got to know where we’re going,” Justice said. “We can’t have things behind us that are compelling and pulling at us.”
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