US Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters has publicly addressed concerns about her remarks regarding members of the Trump administration and the former POTUS’ immigration policy.
During a recent interview on MSNBC she was asked whether she ever "glorified or encouraged" violence against Republicans – Waters argued that "the strongest thing" she said was "tell them they're not welcome."
"Talk to them. Tell them they're not welcome. I didn't say go and fight. I didn't say anybody was going to have any violence. And so they can't make that stick," the congresswoman insisted.
She also urged Republicans to distance themselves from the 45th US President Trump, warning what might happen if they don’t.
"As a matter of fact, the Republicans should be afraid, not only about the destruction of our democracy but if they continue to support him and allowed themselves to be guided by him, they're going to have to live with a president that dictates to them every vote they can take, every vote they cannot take. He's going to be in their primaries. They will be owned by this dishonourable human being," she said.
As Fox News points out, back in 2018, Waters criticised administration officials who supported Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, and called upon her supporters to "absolutely harass them."
"They’re not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they’re not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store," Waters said back then, as quoted by the media outlet. "The people are going to turn on them, they’re going to protest, they’re going to absolutely harass them."
Waters’ remarks came after Kirstjen Nielsen, then a US homeland security secretary, and ex-press secretary Sarah Sanders "were confronted with their families in public over Trump's controversial family separation policy."