Rep. Matt Gaetz delivered an impassioned speech Wednesday on the House floor, saying Democrats have incited “far more political violence” in the United States than Republicans.
“Make no mistake, the Left in America has incited far more political violence than the Right,” the Florida Republican said.
“For months, our cities burned, police stations burned, our businesses were shattered, and they said nothing. Or they cheer-led for it and fundraised for it, and they allowed it to happen in the greatest country in the world.”
His comments came during a House floor speech, ahead of the House vote on impeaching President Trump. Democrats and some Republicans have condemned Trump for allegedly inciting violence last week before protesters stormed the Capitol in a deadly siege.
“Some have cited the metaphor that the president lit the flame,” Gaetz continued. “Well, they lit actual flames. Actual fires.”
In his speech, he rattled off examples of Democrats calling for their supporters to confront Republicans physically or calling for unrest on the streets.
“When the gentlelady from California brazenly brags that she called for people to get in the faces of those who serve and support the president,” he said, ostensibly referring to Rep. Maxine Waters.
In 2018, Waters notably called for her supporters to harass Trump administration officials in public during a rally.
“Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out, and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” Waters said at the time.
