Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, said Tuesday that he doesn’t support Rep. Maxine Waters’ call to harass Trump administration officials, but said President Trump started these sorts of fights by being uncivil.
“I’m not,” Ryan said on Fox News when asked if he’s a supporter of Waters’ call to action. “I think it’s inappropriate for any of us to condone any kind of political harassment.”
“I think we’ve gotta start getting to some higher ground here,” he added.
But he said Trump has set a poor example.
“Let’s be honest, I mean, the president has not embodied civility at all,” he said. “He’s talked about punching people in the face, he’ll pay the legal bills if you get roughed up.”
“So this has started under his watch, and unfortunately it’s gotten to this point,” he said.
Waters has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for calling on people to harass Trump officials, and is the subject of a resolution that says she should step down from her office and apologize.
