Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen sidesteps questions after dismissing journalist over nationality

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald-Lincoln Journal Star

By ANDREW WEGLEY Lincoln Journal Star Oct 20, 2023 Updated 9 hrs ago

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen on Friday did not apologize for or defend the comments he made about a Nebraska reporter’s nationality that have since been described as racist and xenophobic by Asian American leaders across the country.

The governor in September tried to discredit Yanqi Xu’s reporting in the Flatwater Free Press, a nonprofit investigative news outlet, that showed more than a dozen Pillen hog farms had nitrate levels far above the legal drinking water limit.

Asked about Xu’s story days later amid a KFAB radio segment, Pillen said he hadn’t read the report and wouldn’t before pointing to Xu’s Chinese nationality.

“Number one, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Pillen said then. “Number two, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?”


Read more: https://omaha.com/news/state-regional/pillen-sidesteps-criticism-reporter-racist-comment/article_d73a9a2a-acf5-5b77-a85e-867d3b26c1ca.html

[radical noodle]

1. She's been writing about nitrates

in the drinking water in Nebraska for quite some time. She wasn't simply doing one hit piece on him. But apparently in his mind, the "Chinese Communist" Yanqi Xu only wants to clean up the water to somehow help the communists. What an ass.

[peppertree]

3. Pillage Pillen no doubt has full-house filtration at home (courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer)

The rest of Nebraska can drink Flint-like water, as far as he and his donors are concerned.

[DFW]

2. We have had completely boorish Republican governors before

That does not mean that anyone should be striving to emulate them.

[Windicator]

4. His industrial GMO-gagging hog works and sprawling shit lagoons

along with his greed, his arrogance, and his avoidance of responsibility,
qualify him as a typical repube.

That's who they have become. Tragically.

[PatSeg]

5. So does that mean that anyone who appears

to be Asian is automatically assumed to be from communist China? Reason and logic are dead.

[DallasNE]

8. He Judged The Content Of Her Character On The Color Of Her Skin. n/t

[Old Crank]

6. It doesn' appear

that the majority of Nebraska voters care about anything other than anR beside teh name of a candidate.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

7. Now that's a guy

Who shouldn't hold political office.

[Maraya1969]

9. I wonder if someone could find out where he sells his pigs. I wouldn't want to eat something that toxic

If it could be made big news that the hogs are toxic and no one should eat them I bet a lot of people would stop eating them. (I realize the meat comes in all forms but isn't there a way to find out where your meat comes from before you eat it?)

I'm very close to be a full on vegetarian and a lot of it is hearing how badly these poor animals are kept when they are alive.