A lawmaker of the U.S. state of Maine has been criticized for an email he sent to an Asian American resident, which Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau called "racist," local media reported.
Republican Representative Michael Lemelin from Maine's Chelsea town called COVID-19 a "China virus" and significantly downplayed the impacts of the pandemic in the email concerning his signature on a letter asking for easing restrictions on full-time school, the Central Maine, a local newspaper, reported Monday.
Fecteau described Lemelin's words as "a racist trope" that was "offensive and wrong," but said that he has no plans for formal reprimand as it is voters' responsibility to hold the lawmaker accountable.
