Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) brushed off mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a factor in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, denouncing the conservative criticisms as irrelevant.
Numerous GOP figures said “DEI” was somehow responsible for the bridge collapse last week, which was caused by a container ship crashing into a support column, sending the bridge into the Patapsco River and killing six people.
Moore refused to give the criticisms a response.
“My response is I have no time for foolishness,” he said in a CNN “State of the Union” interview with Dana Bash on Sunday. “I’m locked in on making sure that we can bring closure and comfort to these families and making sure that we’re going to keep our first responders safe or doing heroic work,” he said.
“On making sure that we’re going to open up this channel and be able to get boats and ships and get our economic engine going again, making sure that we’re taking care of our people to include our first responders and families and small businesses who have been impacted by this,” he continued. “And I’m making sure that we’re going to get the Key Bridge rebuilt. I have no time for foolishness, and so I’m not going to delve into it.”
The most widespread DEI remarks came from Utah state Rep. Phil Lyman (R) and Florida congressional candidate Anthony Sabatini (R).
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott sharply denounced the comments as racist and race-baiting, saying that DEI was just a substitute for racial slurs, specifically after he was dubbed a “DEI mayor.”
“[Black people] been the bogeyman for them since the first day they brought us to this country, and what they mean by ‘DEI’ in my opinion is ‘duly elected incumbent,’” Scott said earlier this week.
“We know what they want to say, but they don’t have the courage to say the N-word, and the fact that I don’t believe in their untruthful and wrong ideology,” he continued. “And I am very proud of my heritage and who I am and where I come from scares them, because me being at my position means that their way of thinking, their way of life of being comfortable while everyone else suffers is going to be at risk, and they should be afraid because that’s my purpose in life.”