Congresswoman Maxine Waters avoided censure after she urged protesters to "get more confrontational” during the anticipation of unrest amid Chauvin’s trial, as the US House of Representatives ruled on Tuesday to reject a Republican censure resolution by a slim margin in a 216-210 vote.
Earlier in the day, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy introduced the censure resolution seeking to “hold Waters accountable” for comments she made that, in his bill “raised the potential for violence, directed lawlessness, and may have interfered with a co-equal branch of government.”
Chairwoman Waters’ actions are beneath the dignity of this institution.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) April 20, 2021
They raised the potential for violence, directed lawlessness, and may have interfered with a co-equal branch of government.
I just introduced this censure resolution to hold her accountable. pic.twitter.com/cGuEFNNqZo
Waters fueled a backlash from some Republicans after remarks she made during a visit in Minneapolis on Saturday. She urged protesters, gathered in the area where Daunte Wright was shot while demonstrations over Chauvin’s trial continued, to “get more confrontational” despite coronavirus-related restrictions.
The judge in the Chauvin trial, Justice Peter Cahill, noted that officials should distance themselves from the trial and "stop talking about it in a manner that's disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch.”
Protests over the trial, which began in Minnesota last month, intensified on 11 April, when 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who had an outstanding arrest warrant, was killed by police during a traffic stop and attempted arrest. The policewoman claimed that she mistook her handgun for a Taser.
The jury ruled on Tuesday to find Chauvin guilty of all charges, including second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Judge Cahill is expected to pass sentence in two months.
