‘Free Speech’: James Clyburn Defends Maxine Waters’ Rhetoric on Minnesota Protests

Appearing Tuesday on Bloomberg TV, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) defended Rep. Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) remarks regarding the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

A transcript is as follows:

DAVID WESTIN: There are a lot of strong feelings stirred up across the country as there should be about something this momentous. It’s understandable people get pretty passionate and stirred up about it. We had one of your colleagues, Maxine Waters, go up to Minneapolis and say if it doesn’t go the right way, there should be more confrontation. Where is the line for leaders such as you or Maxine Waters in making sure we express the proper passion, but not go over the line and really incite what could turn into violence?

HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP JAMES CLYBURN: I don’t know where that line is, but I do know this: I’m a little bit incensed that this would be politicized by the leadership of the Republican Party. They didn’t have one word to say about Mo Brooks just minutes before that insurrection on the 6th of January. Mo Brooks was making incendiary remarks here in Washington. Maxine wasn’t even in Washington when her remarks were made. They don’t even come close to what Mo Brooks said and it lead to an insurrection and some deaths. I think we ought to stop trying to politicize every time someone makes a political statement. Let’s just remember, our Constitution guarantees the right to redress, the right to petition, and I believe free speech is there as well.