June 3rd, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan began his press conference today with comments on the death of George Floyd and the peaceful protests in Baltimore City, as well as the Maryland primary election.

Watch today’s press conference.

On The Death of George Floyd and Peaceful Protests in Baltimore City: 

“I want to begin by taking a moment to address the senseless murder of George Floyd, which has served as yet another reminder that we still have a long way to go to live up to our nation’s highest ideals. In recent days, protests have been held in cities across America, including in Baltimore City, where thousands of young people and community leaders have expressed their frustrations peacefully while working together with law enforcement to stand up to and help stop a small group of people with a violent agenda.

“As one Baltimore activist said, ‘We won’t let outside agitators tell the story of Baltimore.’ I’m proud that during this difficult time, Baltimore City has set an example for the rest of America, and I want to thank Mayor Jack Young, Commissioner Harrison, the Baltimore City Police Department, the Maryland State Police, the MTA and MDTA police, along with the citizen soldiers of the Maryland National Guard. Most importantly, I want to thank the residents of Baltimore, who are showing the power of a strong, compassionate, and united community.” 

On The Maryland Primary Election:

“I also want to address what we all saw yesterday and over the past months from the State Board of Elections regarding the problems with the primary election, the fact that thousands of Marylanders either did not receive their ballots or received erroneous or late ballots—all of which is completely unacceptable. The most basic responsibility of the State Board of Elections is ensuring that free and fair elections are conducted accurately.

“There were obviously significant failures, there are questions that need to be answered, which is why we are calling on the SBE Administrator to prepare a full and complete report to me, the Board of Public Works, the Secretary of State, the presiding officers of the Maryland General Assembly, and to the public, no later than July 3.

“I am also requesting that the Maryland General Assembly immediately begin oversight hearings to determine what caused the failures and how they can be corrected. I want to assure you that we are going to take whatever actions are necessary to make sure that those responsible correct these problems in order to safeguard our democratic process, and ensure that the November election is free of these failures and these issues.”