House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to act against what he believes is “dangerous rhetoric” from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
“Maxine Waters is inciting violence in Minneapolis — just as she has incited it in the past. If Speaker Pelosi doesn’t act against this dangerous rhetoric, I will bring action this week,” McCarthy tweeted on Sunday evening.
Maxine Waters is inciting violence in Minneapolis — just as she has incited it in the past. If Speaker Pelosi doesn’t act against this dangerous rhetoric, I will bring action this week.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) April 19, 2021
Waters attended a protest over the weekend in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. This came a week after the police shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, and amid calls for justice in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with murder and manslaughter for his role in the death of George Floyd.
“I’m going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” she said. “We’ve got to get justice in this country and we cannot allow these killings to continue.”
When talking about the Chauvin trial, Waters said, “We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”
She also called on protesters to make their demands clear.
“This is a very difficult time in the history of this country. Despite the fact that we know that people of color have been killed too often, unarmed, young men in particular Black men,” Waters said.
She continued, “We have to persist in calling for justice. We have to let people know that we are not going to be satisfied unless we get justice in these cases.”
Watch her comments below:
.@RepMaxineWaters on telling Rep. Jim Jordan: "You need to respect the chair and shut your mouth." She also shares regarding attending a #DaunteWright protest last night in #Minneapolis. #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/bQpM3dlHJF
— The Weekend on MSNBC (@TheWeekendMSNBC) April 18, 2021
MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart asked Waters why it is important for her to be in Minnesota.
Waters explained it is crucial to show support to young people who are trying to “make this justice system work for everybody.”
She added, “They see their peers being killed. Minneapolis is a great example of what’s wrong with the criminal justice system, what’s wrong with policing, and so those of us who hold significant positions must stand up. We must support them, we must speak out, we must call for justice.”
Others saw Waters’ comments as an incitement of violence, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), as IJR reported.
“Very soon I’ll be introducing a resolution to expel [Maxine Waters] from Congress for her continual incitement of violence on innocent American people. Rep Waters is a danger to our society,” Greene tweeted on Sunday.
