Governor Bill Lee signs a proclamation in the honor of the KKK leader

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Under the Tennessee law, governors are required to proclaim six "special observance days" dates, including July 13 as "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day"; June 3 as "Remembrance Day" or "Confederate Decoration Day"; and January 19 as "Robert E. Lee Day".

The Republican governor signed the proclamation Wednesday.

"Nathan Bedford Forrest is a recognized military figure in American history and a native of Tennessean," says the proclamation.

Lee told The Tennessean on Thursday that he had signed the bill "because the law requires it and I have not considered amending this law."
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He declined to say he thought the state's law should be changed, the Tennessean reported.

"I did not even look at this law, other than knowing that I had to respect it, that's what I did," Lee told the newspaper. "When we look at the law, then we will see."

CNN solicited comments from the governor's office.

The reaction to the proclamation was bipartisan.

"It's wrong," commented Senator Ted Cruz. "Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate General and a delegate to the Democratic Convention of 1868. He was also a slave trader and the first great magician of KKK."

The Texas Republican argued that Tennessee should not have an official day in the honor of Forrest and called on the state to amend the law.

Steve Cohen of Tennessee echoed Cruz on Twitter.
"We should not pay tribute to Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first great magician of the Ku Klux Klan and the author of the Fort Pillow Massacre," said the Democratic deputy says on Twitter. "Governor Lee should bring #Tennessee into the 21st century and not return to the 19th."

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