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Kinder speaks out on North Carolina’s ‘bathroom bill’

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder waded into North Carolina’s battle with the federal government over the state’s “bathroom bill” Tuesday morning, releasing a statement standing with Gov. Pat McCrory, comparing his state’s situation to what happened when the federal government intervened in Ferguson.

peter kinder
Kinder

McCrory and North Carolina filed a lawsuit against the federal government Monday and the Department of Justice countersued a couple of hours later.

“By inserting itself into North Carolina’s lawmaking, the Obama Justice Department is overstepping its authority in violation of the 10th Amendment to the Constitution,” Kinder said. “It justifies this overreach by unilaterally redefining federal anti-discrimination law, something only Congress has the authority to do. We saw this on the local level in February when the full force of the federal government was unleashed in a similar way on the city of Ferguson. The DOJ told Ferguson officials they could either accept an agreement the city couldn’t afford, or fight a lawsuit they couldn’t afford.”

Kinder also said the government’s actions were a sign of potentially unceasing overreach.

“Now, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and her DOJ cohorts are threatening action against North Carolina for the ‘crime’ of wanting to designate bathrooms in government buildings for men and women only,” he said. “If the federal government can force states to bow to its command over bathroom policies, is there anything beyond its reach?”

Kinder also called on Gov. Jay Nixon and Attorney General Chris Koster to oppose the federal government’s lawsuit as well. The North Carolina law has received similar business community opposition as SJR 39 in Missouri, which was opposed by both Nixon and Koster.

“I stand with North Carolina and Gov. Pat McCrory, and I urge Attorney General Chris Koster and Gov. Jay Nixon to stand up to this federal abuse of power,” Kinder said. “This issue goes way beyond North Carolina. It is an unprecedented assault on our privacy and safety. This DOJ will not stop in North Carolina. By targeting this one state, the Obama Administration has telegraphed what it intends to do to any state that tries to protect its residents’ right to privacy against a far-left radical agenda.”