RICHMOND, Va. (NBC) — The governor of Virginia is seeking a bill to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in the U.S. Capitol Building.
According to a spokesperson, Gov. Ralph Northam filed a drafting request for a bill that would outline the process for removing the statue and selecting a replacement.
This comes after state representatives Jennifer Wexton and Donald McEachin sent a letter calling on Northam to make replacing the statue part of his agenda for the 2020 legislative session.
In the letter, they argue that the statue aims to “rewrite Lee’s reputation from that of a cruel slave owner and Confederate general.”
They say there are “countless commendable Virginians who would better represent” the commonwealth.
The Lee statue is one of Virginia’s two in the National Statuary Hall Collection.
