Reaction to Maxine Water's threat of violence if Chauvin is not found guilty of murdering Floyd, similar demands made by blacks if cops who arrested Rodney King were not found guilty and sent to prison. In other words, if O.J. is found guilty, or if Chauvin is found innocent we are going to burn this m+++++f++ing city to the ground.
Reaction to Waters’ Remarks
Two days later, Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, asked for a mistrial based on Waters’ comments.
Waters, he said, “was making what I interpreted to be and what I think are reasonably interpreted to be, threats against the sanctity of the jury process, threatening and intimidating a jury, demanding that if there’s not a guilty verdict that there would be further problems.”
Given that the jury, to that point, had not been sequestered, Nelson argued there was a high probability that jurors had seen her comments and that it might prejudice their verdict.
Judge Peter Cahill denied the motion to dismiss the trial though he said, “I’ll give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned.”
Numerous Republicans also denounced Waters’ remarks and claimed they were a call to violence.
“This weekend in Minnesota, Maxine Waters broke the law by violating curfew and then incited violence,” House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy stated via Twitter on April 19.
McCarthy vowed that he would introduce a resolution to censure Waters “for these dangerous comments.” McCarthy’s resolution was tabled in 216-210 vote on April 20.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia filed a resolution seeking to expel Waters from Congress, “for inciting violence and engaging in rioting and protest against citizens and officers of the United States, including President Donald J. Trump.”
Responding to a question on Fox Business on April 19 about Waters’ comments, Rep. Madison Cawthorn castigated, “political leaders who are so divided to where they are literally encouraging people to go out and cause more violence, burn down more buildings.”
Cawthorn said he supported calls for Waters’ expulsion from the House, saying that the video showed “a Democratic congresswoman literally calling for violence.”
Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted a link to a video of Waters’ comments, and wrote, “Democrats actively encouraging riots & violence.”
