Rep. Maxine Waters denied she ever incited any violence against former President Donald Trump’s supporters or members of his administration.
“As a matter of fact, if you look at the words that I used, the strongest thing I said was, tell them they’re not welcome,” Waters said when asked by MSNBC if she had ever “glorified or encouraged” violence against political opponents.
“[I said] talk to them. Tell them they’re not welcome. I didn’t say go and fight. I didn’t say anybody was going to have any violence. And so they can’t make that stick,” she said.
The comments come at a time when Trump is set to face his second impeachment trial in the Senate over accusations that his words and actions incited the crowd that eventually rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Waters has faced criticisms for comments she made in the past that some allege as inciting violence, including 2018 comments when she said protesters should “absolutely harass” members of Trump’s administration in public.
“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. We’ve got to get the children connected to their parents,” Waters said at the time.
But Waters found little issue with her past comments on Sunday, saying instead that Trump is a “dishonorable human being” who Republicans should distance themselves from.
“The Republicans should be afraid, not only about the destruction of our democracy but if they continue to support him and allowed themselves to be guided by him, they’re going to have to live with a president that dictates to them every vote they can take, every vote they cannot take,” Waters said. “He’s going to be in their primaries. They will be owned by this dishonorable human being.”
