Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is being criticized by conservatives for lamenting the fact that he signed a law banning mask mandates in the state.
The Republican governor made the comments during a press briefing on Tuesday, saying he signed the legislation when Covid-19 cases were at a “very low point.”
"I knew that it would be overridden by the legislature if I didn't sign it," he said. "I had already eliminated our statewide mask mandate."
Now that cases of the Delta variant are surging, Hutchinson wished the ban on mask mandates "had not become law."
Now, he said, the law could be amended by the state legislature, or the courts could rule it unconstitutional.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) says he regrets signing law banning local mask mandates, as COVID cases quickly rise in his state.
— The Recount (@therecount) August 4, 2021
“In hindsight, I wish that had not become law,” said Hutchinson, who has asked lawmakers to allow school districts to adopt mask mandates. pic.twitter.com/sj1Q8ukLCA
Conservatives immediately called Hutchinson out for being a "weakling."
Asa Hutchinson may be the limpest weakling in the entire Republican Party, and that is really saying something https://t.co/Bqsw2yJnjS
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 4, 2021
No more votes for performative jokers like Asa Hutchinson. Thank God he’s gone in 2022. You either believe in and commit to fighting for freedom or you don’t. It’s very simple. That’s the whole ballgame now and you have to be strong under pressure when it actually counts. https://t.co/qP4YauMgAO
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 4, 2021
.@AsaHutchinson believes a kid should be able to access chemical castration but must be forced to cover his breathing https://t.co/bCG6nFPsc1
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) August 4, 2021