A Democratic lawmaker is facing criticism for her remark toward a GOP colleague on Tuesday, saying that she wanted to "make him a broth of Legionella" bacteria to infect "the water system of his loved one."
The remark was made by Illinois Representative Stephanie Kifowit toward GOP Representative Peter Breen of Lombard, Illinois, during a heated discussion over a bill that could help people whose family members have died or been infected by Legionnaires disease outbreak, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
"To the representative from Lombard, I would like to make him a broth of Legionella and pump it into the water system of his loved one so that they can be infected, they can be mistreated, they can sit and suffer by getting aspirin instead of being properly treated and ultimately die," Kifowit said.
Following Kifowit's remarks, state Representative Jeanne Ives defended Breen and slammed Kifowit for taking "an honest debate" to "wish death on" Breen and his family, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
"How dare you. How dare you concoct up some sort of story about brewing up some batch of Legionella and having him feed it to his family. How dare you take the discussion and the debate about a very serious bill that has a huge cost consequence on both sides, both for the victim and the state taxpayers. How dare you take an honest debate about an issue and then wish death on my colleague Peter Breen, his wife and his two adopted kids," Ives said.
After the debate, Kifowit wrote on Twitter that her comments toward the GOP Representative were misinterpreted and "never stated anything to wish his family death."
"In response to remarks against giving restitution by Rep Breen, I stated, "imagine if it was your family" as a hypothetical because it did happen to families. I never stated anything to wish his family death," Kifowit wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "My words were twisted and misrepresented but keep in mind - he was angry at the thought. For the families of the Veterans who died and the individuals that were sickened - this is reality."
Despite claiming that her remarks were hypothetical, the Republican Party of Illinois called on to Kifowit to resign.
"Contrary to @RepKifowit's "clarification," she literally wished death upon Rep. Peter Breen and his family. That is reprehensible. Kifowit must resign," the party tweeted on Tuesday.
The bill was passed in May to help the families of 14 people who died and the dozens of others who were infected by the Legionnaires' outbreak at the Illinois Veteran Home in Quincy, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by a bacteria called Legionella, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It becomes a health concern when the bacteria spreads from human-made building water systems like showerheads, faucets, and water cooling towers, the CDC states.
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