Wednesday on MSNBC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she would “absolutely positively not” apologize for accusing Senate Republicans of trying to get away with “murder” by not doing serious police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Tuesday Pelosi said, “They were trying to get away with murder, actually. The murder of George Floyd.”
Host Peter Alexander asked, “Madam Speaker, let me ask you about police reform. Obviously, a major issue as we see this wave of protests continuing across the country right now. You’ve echoed your Democratic colleagues who have said that the Republican bill is in their words, in your words, unsalvageable. When you were speaking yesterday, you said Republicans are trying to get away with murder actually, the murder of George Floyd. Senate Republicans are demanding an apology for that statement. Will you apologize?”
Pelosi said, “Absolutely, positively not. The fact is I—think you in the press have given them far too much credit for a bill that does nothing. You’re saying you have their bill. They have theirs. Their bill does nothing.”
Alexander asked, “Is Tim Scott working in good faith? Is this a good starting point?”
Pelosi said, “I’m talking about Mitch McConnell. Mitch McConnell could open this up again and have an open judiciary committee consideration of a bill where they could come together and get something done. The reason we have overwhelming support across the country, young people, sports figures, big-time names in the people of color communities, and the rest is that bill to get something done. When you in the press say can’t you compromise, no, we can’t compromise when they say no chokeholds and they say some chokeholds. What’s the compromise? Fewer chokeholds? No. No chokeholds. But we have to have some fundamental stipulation of fact that certain things are wrong. Their bill is a non-starter.”
She continued, “It’s most unfortunate to see the United States Senate, Republicans, can ignore hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of America, across the country, day in, week in, now months, for a long period of time speaking out for justice in policing, respecting those who do their jobs correctly, but also recognizing there are those who do not. So the legislation we have put forth is one piece. There’s more that we should all be doing. This is one piece that we thought would have consensus. But what the president put forth and what the Republicans are putting forth is to hijack words, but take no action, to make no difference. It’s not too late. Mitch McConnell can take the good faith of Tim Scott or other members who may want to cooperate and write a bill in a bipartisan way in their judiciary committee and see where they come out.”
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