Kennedy condemns the removal of Confederate monuments

PHOENIX (AP) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has condemned the removal of Confederate statues, saying he had a “visceral reaction against” the destruction of monuments honoring southern leaders from the Civil War.

Robert E. Lee, the top Confederate general, had “extraordinary qualities of leadership” that deserve to be celebrated, Kennedy said Friday in an interview for the Timcast IRL, which is hosted by conservative podcaster Tim Pool.

“There were heroes in the Confederacy who didn’t have slaves,” Kennedy said in response to a question about the monuments. “And, you know, I just, I just have a visceral reaction to this destroying history. I don’t like it. I think we should celebrate who we are. And that, you know, we should celebrate the good qualities of everybody.”

Celebrating only people who were “completely virtuous” would mean erasing all of history, Kennedy said.