Nation
‘I was shot because of this kind of dangerous rhetoric’: Scalise slams Waters for recent comments
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) blasted Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.) for recent comments she made which Republicans have argued amount to inciting violence.
“Let’s be clear: Maxine Waters knew her rhetoric would incite violence in Minneapolis—but she doesn’t care, she just requests police escorts for herself,” Scalise tweeted Monday.
The Louisiana Republican also brought up how he was shot during a 2017 Republican practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game, saying, “I was shot because of this kind of dangerous rhetoric. Where is the outrage from Dems & the media? They need to condemn this.”
This past weekend, Waters visited Brooklyn Center, Minnesota to join the ongoing protests against the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by a police officer. While there, the 15-term congresswoman commented on the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the May 2020 death of George Floyd that sparked protests across the nation and the world against police brutality and systemic racism.
“[Protestors] got to stay on the street and we have got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational,” Waters said about if Chauvin is acquitted on murder charges. “We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”
She also said that protestors “have got to fight for justice.”
While Republicans across the board have been criticizing Waters for her comments, high-profile Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) have defended her.
“No [she shouldn’t apologize], Maxine talked about confrontation in the manner of the Civil Rights movement,” Pelosi told reporters on Monday, according to The New York Post. She also accused Republicans of taking Waters’ comments out of context.
Waters has stood by her comments, telling The Grio: “I am nonviolent.”
“Republicans will jump on any word, any line and try to make it fit their message and their cause for denouncing us and denying us, basically calling us violent — any time they see an opportunity to seize on a word, so they do it and they send a message to all of the white supremacists, the KKK, the Oath Keepers, the [Proud] Boys and all of that, how this is a time for [Republicans] to raise money on [Democrats’] backs,” she said.
On Monday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced that he intends to introduce a resolution to censure the California Democrat, tweeting: “This weekend in Minnesota, Maxine Waters broke the law by violating curfew and then incited violence. Speaker Pelosi is ignoring Waters’ behavior—that’s why I am introducing a resolution to censure Rep. Waters for these dangerous comments.”
You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @DouglasPBraff.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a significant diplomatic development, five American citizens who were detained in Iran have been successfully released and are on their way back to the United States.
The five Americans, along with two family members, arrived safely in Doha, Qatar on Monday after departing from Iran. This release comes as part of a prisoner exchange agreement between the United States and Iran, accompanied by the return of $6 billion in frozen funds to Iran.
A White House official commented on this, stating, “The president is making five families whole again.” The $6 billion in frozen funds, a substantial part of this exchange, arrived in Qatar on Sunday night, leading to Iran’s decision to release the American detainees. Qatar has played a crucial role as an intermediary for negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
President Biden, in a statement on Monday, expressed his satisfaction with the successful exchange and revealed that two of the American citizens involved had requested that their identities remain undisclosed. He also used the opportunity to call upon the Iranian regime to provide a full account of the disappearance of Bob Levinson, a former FBI agent who went missing in Iran.
“The Levinson family deserves answers,” President Biden stated. He further announced sanctions against former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence under the Levinson Act for their involvement in wrongful detentions.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken held a press conference later on Monday to address the release and answer questions from reporters. Blinken expressed his relief at the return of the American citizens and emphasized the U.S. government’s dedication to punishing countries that unlawfully imprison U.S. citizens.
He clarified that the prisoner swap was negotiated separately from discussions regarding the Iran nuclear deal, cautioning against interpreting the exchange as an indicator of progress in the nuclear negotiations, though there are many skeptics raising concern across social media platforms.
The Biden administration has underscored that Qatar will retain control of the $6 billion that is being unfrozen and will allocate it to Iran exclusively for humanitarian purposes. However, some Iran watchdogs have voiced concerns, claiming that this move is insufficient.
According to reports from Fox News, Benham Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, stated, “The Islamic Republic must be beaming now. Despite rhetoric from Washington about supporting the Iranian people, in practice with the waiver and random payment, the Biden administration is now effectively helping Tehran signal that no matter what the regime does, it will not be met with meaningful pressure.”
Furthermore President Donald J Trump took to Truth social Monday commenting on the deal current President Joe Biden made stating, “This absolutely ridiculous 6 Billion Dollar Hostage Deal with Iran has set a terrible PRECEDENT for the future. Buckel up, you are going to see some terrible things start to happen. The 3 years ago highly respected USA has become a laughingstock all over the WORLD. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. VOTE TRUMP!!!”
The release of these American citizens and the accompanying fund transfer mark a questionable development in U.S.-Iran relations. The path forward remains complex and uncertain as both nations grapple with long-standing issues and ongoing negotiations surrounding the Iran nuclear deal.
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