Prompted by questioning from a reporter, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad commented on the recent murder of Waterloo, Iowa teen Marcellus Andrews, who was beaten to death by a group of people who preceded their attack with anti-gay slurs.
The Des Moines Register reports:
“I think it's in appropriate to try to link these two,” Republican Gov. Terry Branstad said during his weekly press conference at the Capitol…
…Branstad answered: “The fact of the matter is, we need to protect the health, safety and well-being of all the citizens, regardless – if somebody is murdered, it needs to be investigated and prosecuted and people held responsible for it.
“But I see no link whatsoever and I think it's inappropriate to try to blame people that are not associated with having committed a crime. I think we need to focus on the people who committed the crime and they need to be brought to justice.”
David Pakman, of Midweek Politics, aired a segment last week on Waterloo's connection to Michele Bachmann, and her reticence to address the issue of gay teen suicide.
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP…
