“Lost Cause” Defender Appointed to VA Board of Historic Resources Says She Did NOT Resign, but Was Dismissed by Youngkin

You undoubtedly recall this crazy story from a few weeks ago — Audio: Gov. Youngkin’s New Appointee to the VA Board of Historic Resources Says Robert E. Lee Was a “Morally Fine Human Being”; “Secession Was NOT Treason”; the North’s “Invasion” of the South Was “just like we see Russia invading Ukraine”; etc. (She also falsely claims “slavery would have been outlawed in the South within 5 or 10 years, but they wanted to do it on their time.”). That caused an uproar, with numerous people weighing in with outrage that Youngkin would put someone like this on the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. For more background, see Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA04): “Extremist” Youngkin Pick for Historic Resources Board “shows a blatant disregard for Virginia’s sordid history with racism” (Youngkin’s pick of Ann Hunter McLean “demonstrates a frightening lack of cultural and social wherewithal to effectively lead Virginians or steer our great Commonwealth forward”); Former Del. Jay Jones Says Youngkin “continues his open embrace of white supremacy” with Pick of Confederate Monuments Defender to Board of Historic Resources (The appointee also cites “Christian nationalist”‘s debunked book; argues that criticism of Thomas Jefferson “is going back to Marx” and that Jefferson “really loved many of the people that he cared for and his laborers”); Southern Poverty Law Center Applauds Resignation of “Lost Cause” Sympathizer from the Virginia Board of Historic Resources; etc.

On that last link, to the Southern Poverty Law Center statement applauding McLean’s “resignation,” it turns out that this wasn’t 100% accurate. Instead, as “Lost Cause” defender McLean discussed this morning on far-right radio (“Richmond Morning News with John Reid”), she emphasized strongly that she did NOT resign, but was “dismissed” by Youngkin from VA Historic Resources Board.

McLean also said the following…er, “interesting” things, lol:

• “[The Civil War] was a patriotic war for the country of Virginia to protect everyone…from an invading army, that is the truth”
• The Bible should be used as a source of actual, true history.
• “Secession is not treason – that is true…I can support that with documentation”
• “We are now in retribution territory”
• “There was a lot of love, and there still is, between peoples of any pigment in the South; I mean, my goodness, Pocohantas was held up as sort of a queen of Virginia…for them to forget Pocohontas…it’s a perversion…and we’re seeing so much perversion…it’s ruining our land”
• “These statues need to be rescued.”

So…yeah, Youngkin was right to dismiss McLean, but the big question remains: why did he appoint her in the first place? Did he dismiss her because he actually disagreed with her in any way, or simply because the political “heat” got too intense? And who will Youngkin pick to replace her? Another “Lost Cause”/Confederacy sympathizer? Stay tuned…