Nebraska governor Jill Pillen rips article by journalist Yanqi Xu and says he won’t read it because she’s from ‘communist China’

A reporter was shocked after Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen dismissed her as “from communist China.”

The 67-year-old politician made his comments during a radio interview in September about Yanqi Xu, a Chinese immigrant who works for the independent publisher Flatwater Free Press.

He was asked to respond to her article about high nitrate levels on his pig farms.

‘No 1, I haven’t read it. And I won’t do that,” Pillen told local radio station KFAB. ‘No 2, you just have to look at the author. The author is from communist China. What else do you need to know?’

Xu, 27, responded to his comments on Wednesday, saying she wanted to hold the governor accountable. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” she said NBC News. “I definitely see the bias there.”

Reporter Yanqi Xu, 27, was shocked after Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen dismissed her as ‘from communist China’

Pillen, 67, (pictured) made the comments about Xu, a Chinese immigrant who works for the independent Flatwater Free Press, during a radio interview in September.

Xu responded to his comments on Wednesday, saying she wanted to hold the governor accountable. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this,” she told NBC News. ‘I definitely see the bias there’

“I think it’s important to say something and it can be very difficult at first because in some ways it made you the center of the story,” Xu added.

“Especially as a woman of color, when the other person who made that comment about you is the most powerful person in the state, how do you respond?

“But I think I came back to myself to the point of, if I don’t do it, who will?”

On the day of Governor Pillen’s interview, she was working on a story about his pig farms and heard his comments when she entered the newsroom the next day.

“My first reaction was, ‘Oh, wow, he’s finally responding,’” Xu said. “But I never expected that his only actual comment would be about who I am and where I come from. So I was quite shocked.”

The journalist said she has not had any biased comments made against her during her two years as a journalist in Nebraska.

“I don’t think your country of origin defines you,” she said. “When I interact with people, Nebraskans are actually quite hospitable. And in many ways I felt that I have a community here.”

Matt Wynn, executive director of the Nebraska Journalism Trust, which founded Flatwater Free Press, also came to her defense in a column published Tuesday after consulting with immigration attorneys to ensure her visa status would not be affected.

“Yanqi has been in the United States since 2017. … This, she said, is the first time anyone has written her off based on her heritage. And it was broadcast over the air by the Governor of Nebraska,” he wrote.

The Asian American Journalists Association released a statement in support of the journalist on Wednesday

Congresswoman Judy Chu also called Pillen’s comments a “baseless xenophobic attack” and called on him to apologize to Xu and her outlet.

‘As an employer, this irritates me. As a supporter of democracy and a free press, I find this sad. As a Nebraskan, it embarrasses me.”

Xu was grateful to her employer, saying, “I think it’s also super important that other Chinese Americans or other Chinese immigrants understand that our editorial staff doesn’t think it’s right for the governor to say something like that.”

She has received a lot of support following the incident, adding: ‘I’ve heard so many positive comments and reactions just from today alone. And I think that will definitely keep me going.”

The Asian American Journalists Association released a statement in support of the journalist on Wednesday.

It read: “The Asian American Journalists Association stands with Yanqi Xu, the Flatwater Free Press journalist who was the target of comments attempting to dismiss her reporting because of her country of origin.”

“Having an independent and diverse press corps is essential to democracy, and Xu, an investigative journalist who grew up in China, deserves to do her job without being judged because of her nationality.”

Congresswoman Judy Chu also labeled Pillen’s comments as a “baseless xenophobic attack” and called on him to apologize to Xu and her outlet.

DailyMail.com has contacted Pillen’s office for comment.