Japanese American Senator Mazie Hirono has described Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s response about preserving internment sites as “flippant and juvenile”.
According to Politico, Senator Mazie Hirono was not impressed by Ryan Zinke’s “flippant and juvenile” response to a question about preserving internment sites.
In a House Natural Resources Committee, Zinke was asked by Japanese American Rep. Colleen Hanabusa about the preservation of confinement camps where Japanese-Americans were held during World War II.
“Are you committed to continue to grant programs that are identified, I believe, as the Japanese American Confinement Sites grants program which were funded in 2017? Will we see them funded again in 2018?” Hanabusa asked.
Zinke replied, “Oh, konnichiwa,” – Japanese greeting for ‘good morning’.
“I think it’s still ‘ohayo gozaimasu,’ but that‘s OK,” Hanabusa snapped back.
Japanese American Senator Mazie Hirono criticised Zinke’s response via Twitter. “What you thought was a clever response to @RepHanabusa was flippant & juvenile,” she wrote.
The internment of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans is no laughing matter, @SecretaryZinke. What you thought was a clever response to @RepHanabusa was flippant & juvenile. pic.twitter.com/8pTkmqBeQb
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) March 15, 2018
