The following article by Oliver Willis was posted on the ShareBlue.com website August 29, 2018:
David Perdue opposes renaming the Russell Senate building after late Sen. John McCain, despite Russell’s history of racism and pro-segregation activism.
Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) is opposing the effort to rename the Russell Senate Office building after the late Senator John McCain, and minimized the pro-segregation legacy of the building’s current namesake, Sen. Richard Russell Jr. (R-GA).
On Tuesday, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) proposed the building be renamed after McCain, noting Russell was “an avowed opponent of civil rights and the architect of the Southern filibuster that long delayed its passage.”
In response, Sen. Perdue told reporters he does not want the segregationist’s name removed. In his remarks, Perdue reduced Russell’s support for white supremacy to just “one issue.”