Governor Tom Wolf is asking House Republican leadership in the PA Legislature to censure Rep. Russ Diamond for comments that the Governor calls 'nasty' and 'factually incorrect.'
FOX43 asked the Governor and PA Health Secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, about the war of words that has been unfolding since Wednesday.
"My reaction is this is really another example of harassment against LGBTQ individuals," said Dr. Levine.
On Tuesday, Dr. Levine spoke before her statewide COVID-19 update to address transphobic comments made towards her and multiple incidents of LGBTQ harassment.
She said in part, "I have no room in my heart for hatred and frankly, I do not have time for intolerance."
On Wednesday, State Rep. Russ Diamond then released a statement regarding what he claims are hateful and intolerant comments directed towards the unmasked community, using words that mirror Levine's in one part of the statement, reading "I have no room in my heart for hatred and frankly, I do not have time for intolerance."
"Nevermind using my words as a comment on me. Really what I worry about are the other LGBTQ individuals in the commonwealth," said Dr. Levine.
In a statement released a short time before Dr. Levine and the Governor spoke to FOX43, Governor Wolf also said, "Abhorrent, disrespectful, dangerous. There are no words that adequately describe my disdain for the antics Rep. Diamond displayed in his latest missive. Rep. Diamond’s press release is nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community and the commonwealth’s Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman, and a nationally respected leader in public health, whose bravery and resolve in the face of constant attacks is laudable."
Read the Governor's full statement here.
Rep. Diamond once again released on a statement Thursday saying in part, "Secretary of Health Rachel Levine made a strong statement in defense of her lifestyle and condemned hatred and intolerance. I, of course, condemn all hatred and intolerance. However, I found it ironic that Levine fails to see that her own policies, and those of the governor, are creating similar hatred and intolerance across Pennsylvania."
Dr. Levine said Thursday the benefits of wearing a mask are widely accepted and recognized by local, state and national public health authorities.
"In terms of masks, he's wrong. Masks are essential, and they're an essential public health measure," she said.
"I certainly don't get why you'd conflate that with discrimination against people for their identity," Governor Wolf also added.
As for calls for either Governor Wolf or Dr. Levine to resign, the Governor said, "I'm not resigning." He then turned to Dr. Levine and asked, "are you resigning?" She replied, no.
When FOX43 asked Rep. Diamond to comment on the words spoken about him at the press conference, he said, "after hearing what they said, which isn't anything new, the only thing I'd add is that it's nice to hear them acknowledge that Pennsylvania actually has a legislative body."
The following statement has been released by Rep. Diamond:
“Abhorrent, unlawful, political and deadly. These are the words that describe my disdain for Wolf’s actions, not just today but throughout the COVID-19 disaster emergency.
“Secretary of Health Rachel Levine made a strong statement in defense of her lifestyle and condemned hatred and intolerance. I, of course, condemn all hatred and intolerance. However, I found it ironic that Levine fails to see that her own policies, and those of the governor, are creating similar hatred and intolerance across Pennsylvania.
“There are plenty of thinking Pennsylvanians who realize that universal masking, in practical application, is not effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Those who do also agree that making shopping without a mask socially unacceptable, launching official snitch portals, and threatening jail time are petty attempts to divide the people of this Commonwealth. These are not the hallmarks of a free society, nor a tolerant one.
“After failed policies which contributed to the deaths of over 4,800 Pennsylvanians in nursing homes, ignoring his own orders while protesting in the streets, and unlawfully withholding federal CARES funding from Lebanon County as political retribution, Wolf has lost all moral authority and credibility to guide this Commonwealth.
“It is despicable for the governor to urge a censure for me when he was utterly silent on the actual censure resolution introduced against the representative from Philadelphia who bullied and doxxed two teenage girls and harassed another woman who were merely exercising their First Amendment rights last year outside a Planned Parenthood facility.
“I call on the governor to immediately resign, right after he dismisses Dr. Rachel Levine as secretary of Health for her horrendous performance as the top health official in the state, and her actions to rescue her own mother from the deadly setting of a personal care home without informing the rest of Pennsylvania of the dangers within.
“Levine may live as she wishes, as I have always firmly believed any American has the right to, including those who desire the freedom to make their own personal safety decisions.”