New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, lashed out at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for the censure resolution that the California Republican plans to bring to the House floor against California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters.
“I certainly will not support that frivolous resolution,” Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday. “We support peaceful protest consistent with the First Amendment, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the government peacefully.”
Jeffries, the fourth-ranking Democrat in its 218-member caucus, then invoked the events of Jan. 6, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, including alleged targets Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“Now, Kevin McCarthy should focus on his own conference because the Republicans in the House are a mess right now. Perhaps he should sit this one out right now,” he said. “When you think that Kevin McCarthy has the nerve to say something about anyone when he supported the violent insurrection after the mob attacked the Capitol and threatened to assassinate Nancy Pelosi, kill other members of Congress, hang Mike Pence, he then came back to the Capitol and voted to support the big lie, which ignited the violent insurrection, and he continued to play footsie with Donald Trump.”
MCCARTHY SAYS PELOSI ‘IGNORING’ WATERS’S BEHAVIOR AND THAT HE WILL INTRODUCE CENSURE RESOLUTION
Waters found herself under fire after she flew to Minneapolis and called for protesters to “get more confrontational” if a “not guilty” verdict is reached in the Derek Chauvin trial.
“I hope that we are going to get a verdict that will say, ‘Guilty, guilty, guilty,’” Waters said.
“And if we don’t, we cannot go away. We’ve got to get more confrontational,” the House Financial Services Committee chairwoman bellowed to demonstrators in the streets.
Pelosi defended Waters’s comments, telling reporters on Monday that there was no need for her to apologize.
“Maxine talked about confrontation in the manner of the civil rights movement. I myself think we should take our lead from the George Floyd family,” she said. “They’ve handled this with great dignity and no ambiguity or lack of misinterpretation by the other side. No, no, I don’t think she should apologize.”
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However, Waters’s remarks angered the judge overseeing the Chauvin trial, who commented Monday, “I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function.”
