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Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) on Friday called on Dr. Robert Redfield, a senior health adviser to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), to retract controversial comments about the origins of the novel coronavirus 鈥� or 鈥渟tep away鈥� from his role with state.
Redfield, who served as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Trump, told CNN in an interview that he believed the virus responsible for the global pandemic 鈥渆scaped鈥� from a lab in China in September or October of 2019.
鈥淚 still think the most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory, you know, escaped,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not unusual for respiratory pathogens that are being worked on in a laboratory to infect the laboratory worker.鈥�
Because the first known outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in Wuhan, China, the region鈥檚 Institute of Virology has been a focus of intense speculation for more than a year.
In a more normal political climate, a former CDC director鈥檚 musings about the origins of a virus might not be culturally flammable. But given Trump鈥檚 frequent references to 鈥渢he China virus鈥� 鈥� remarks widely believed to have fueled a spike in attacks on people of Asian descent 鈥� Redfield鈥檚 comments were seen as insensitive and potentially dangerous.
(Like Trump, Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-Md.), a physician, has referred to the聽聽as recently as last April.)
The World Health Organization concluded more than a year ago that it was 鈥渆xtremely unlikely鈥� that COVID-19 escaped from a lab. Instead, experts believe the virus聽聽from animals to humans.
Redfield, who recently became an unpaid adviser to Hogan, admitted his belief about the virus鈥� origins was an 鈥渙pinion.鈥� If he has insider knowledge from his time at the agency, he did not disclose it in the 鈥渢easer鈥� clip that CNN aired on Friday.
鈥淥ther people don鈥檛 believe that,鈥� he told the cable network鈥檚 medical correspondent, Dr. Sunjay Gupta. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 fine. Science will eventually figure it out.鈥�
Speaking to reporters following Friday鈥檚 session, Ferguson called Redfield鈥檚 comments 鈥渋nappropriate, unacceptable and beyond unfortunate.鈥�
鈥淎 comment like this, on national news, is just not OK,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd I am hopeful that the governor will ask Dr. Redfield to either retract or walk back that statement, or clarify that statement in some way. And if not, I hope that the governor does ask him to step away.鈥�
Sen. Susan C. Lee (D-Montgomery), the immediate past chairwoman of the legislature鈥檚 Asian-American Pacific Islander Caucus, took to the floor at the conclusion of Friday鈥檚 Senate session.
She said she and others are 鈥渟hocked and really saddened鈥� by Redfield鈥檚 comments, which come just days after a shooting rampage in the Atlanta area that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent, and suggested that Asian-Americans could be targeted because of the remarks.
鈥淲e are really appalled,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ords really do matter. And they are really dangerous when they manifest themselves or they provoke violent actions against an entire ethnic group.鈥�
鈥淧eople in my community, they鈥檙e terrified,鈥� Lee added. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e frightened, just to even take a walk outside.鈥�
Sen. Clarence K. Lam (D-Howard), a Johns Hopkins physician, said there is 鈥渘o evidence鈥� that the coronavirus escaped from a lab.
He said a comment like Redfield鈥檚 鈥渇uels misperceptions about the virus [and] inappropriately attributes the origins of this worldwide natural tragedy to a specific country and specific people.鈥�
He called it 鈥渄eeply disturbing鈥� that someone with Redfield鈥檚 views is advising the governor. And he said the former CDC chief should retract his comments or end his relationship with Hogan.
Hogan has repeatedly denounced violence against Asian-Americans.
He has given several national interviews on the topic, and recently toured Asian-American-owned businesses in Howard County with his wife, first lady Yumi Hogan, who was born in South Korea, and County Executive Calvin Ball (D).
On Friday, Hogan and 24 other governors 鈥� Republicans and Democrats 鈥� released聽聽that condemned attacks based on ethnicity.
鈥淎s governors, we take care in protecting the people of our states,鈥� they wrote. 鈥淭he tragic loss of loved ones in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asian Americans, is part of a long and painful litany of acts of hate against Asian Americans across the country.鈥�
鈥淭oday, and everyday, we stand in solidarity, in support, and in shared resolve with the Asian American community. Hate will not divide our states and our communities, and we condemn all expressions of racism, xenophobia, scapegoating, and anti-Asian sentiment.鈥�
On Friday, the governor, his wife and Del. David Moon (D-Montgomery) participated in an online discussion, hosted by U.S. Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), about prejudice against Asian-Americans.
During the聽鈥溾�楽top AAPI Hate鈥� Virtual Roundtable,鈥� the Hogans and Moon described hate-motivated incidents aimed at their families, relatives, friends and neighbors.
鈥淚鈥檓 sickened by the racism that my wife and daughters and their friends have had to contend with throughout their lives, but especially during this聽 pandemic,鈥� the governor said.
The first lady said, 鈥渟o many Asian-Americans are living in fear.鈥�
Redfield is the co-founder of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland Baltimore.
Sen. James C. Rosapepe (D-Prince George鈥檚) said his remarks about the virus follow 鈥渢he terrible judgment that he demonstrated鈥� as head of the CDC.
Michael Ricci, a spokesman for Hogan, tried to diffuse the controversy over Redfield鈥檚 remarks, and said that Redfield did not cast blame for the origin of the virus during the CNN interview. 鈥淗e expressly says he鈥檚 not implying intentionality,鈥� Ricci said.
Highly-charged rhetoric in the General Assembly
Some lawmakers believe Anti-Asian sentiment has reared its head in the General Assembly this session, too.
Del. Lily Qi (D-Montgomery), who grew up in China, 听蹿辞谤听Maryland Matters聽earlier this month calling out Del. Mark N. Fisher (R-Calvert) for remarks he made on the House floor when delegates debated one of her bills.
But there鈥檚 another instance of bizarre remarks about Asian women, in particular, that hasn鈥檛 received as much public attention.
During a debate on the TRUST Act immigrants鈥� rights bill earlier this week, Sen. Robert G. Cassilly (R-Harford) compared the shooting deaths of Asian women to the rights afforded to people in America.
In addressing how he believes that the U.S. 鈥渋s the most fair and open, law-abiding country that the world has ever known鈥� during a debate on the TRUST Act Tuesday, Cassilly brought up the six Asian women slain during a shooting spree in Atlanta last week.
鈥淲e took that as a national tragedy,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut let鈥檚 face it, every Asian woman, pretty much, in America has more rights 鈥� more freedoms 鈥� than a billion, or half a billion whatever Asian women do in China.鈥�
Lee sits directly next to Cassilly in the committee room. She said his comment wasn鈥檛 appropriate.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what he was talking about,鈥� Lee, a third-generation Chinese-American, told聽Maryland Matters聽in an interview. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where that came from, but I didn鈥檛 think it was appropriate.鈥�
鈥淟et鈥檚 just say I didn鈥檛 appreciate that comment because I don鈥檛 know what he was talking about, first of all, and I don鈥檛 know it was directed at me.鈥�
Ferguson said he only became privy to Cassilly鈥檚 comment Friday but agreed that it鈥檚 鈥渘ot acceptable.鈥� He said he鈥檚 鈥渄isappointed鈥� and plans to have a conversation with Cassilly.
鈥淲hen we started session this year, it was soon after what we saw happen in Washington, D.C., and one of the most important messages I tried to convey after what we saw on Jan. 6 鈥� is that our words do matter,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd when elected officials speak, those words can have reverberations and send messages and echoes to create a sentiment that can be used for good or ill.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not what I expect of a senator.鈥�
Cassilly could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
