House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy proposes a resolution to censor Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters, after she urged Minnesota protesters to “stay on the streets” and “become more confrontational” if they do not make a conviction in the Derek Chauvin trial regarding the death of George Floyd.
Waters made the remarks during a rally over the weekend ahead of the verdict in the trial of Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Waters told reporters Chauvin should be convicted.
“I hope we get a verdict that says guilty, guilty, guilty,” she said.
Her comments also come in the wake of the death of Daunte Wright, a black man killed by a Minnesota police officer.
When reporters asked Waters what should happen if justice does not serve in the courts in the Chauvin trial, Waters replied: ‘We have to stay on the streets. And we need to become more active. We need to get more confrontation. They need to know what we mean by business. ‘
In comments to The Grio on Monday, she did not retract some of her remarks, saying she was ‘non-violent’. She accused Republicans of distorting her words and using them as a fundraising event.
“Republicans will jump on any word, any rule and try to make it fit with their message and their case to denounce us and deny us, and call us basically violent … every time they get a chance to to seize a word, they do it and they send a message to all the white supremacists, the KKK, the Oath Guards, the [Proud] Boys and all that, how it’s a time for [Republicans] to raise money [Democrats] backs, ”Waters told The Grio.
House President Nancy Pelosi also defended Waters’ comments, saying that Waters “talked about confrontation like the civil rights movement,” and she said, “No, I do not think she should apologize.”
Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, asked for a legal hearing on Waters’ remarks, a request that was denied by Judge Peter Cahill. But he told Nelson: ‘I will give you that Congressman Waters gave you on appeal something that could lead to the entire trial being overturned’, and he said: ‘I wish elected officials to stop talking about this matter in particular to talk. it is disrespectful to the rule of law. ‘
Republicans accused Waters of inciting tensions.
“This weekend in Minnesota, Maxine Waters violated the law by violating evening hours and then inciting violence,” McCarthy tweeted Monday night. “Speaker Pelosi ignores Waters’ behavior – which is why I am introducing a resolution to disrespect Rep. Waters for these dangerous comments.”
Georgia’s representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would pass a resolution to kick Waters out of the House, an extremely unlikely scenario.
The jury in Chauvin’s trial is currently deliberating.
Waters has served in Congress since 1991 and chairs the House Financial Services Committee.
Nikole Killion and Rebecca Kaplan contributed to this report.