Jonathan Turley, a self-described Democrat who is a Constitutional Law Professor at George Washington University, called out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday over multiple contradictory statements that Pelosi gave during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
“Nancy Pelosi just said to Chris Wallace on Fox that she does not understand people publicly protesting civil liberties on lock down orders,” Turley tweeted. “However, this followed her defense of her calling people to join her in Chinatown in late February as a protest against discrimination.”
Nancy Pelosi just said to Chris Wallace on Fox that she does not understand people publicly protesting civil liberties on lock down orders. However, this followed her defense of her calling people to join her in Chinatown in late February as a protest against discrimination…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 19, 2020
Turley is correct. Pelosi, when asked by host Chris Wallace if she understood why protesters were pushing back on Democrats who were restricting their rights, Pelosi responded, “No, not really.”
Turley highlighted another contradiction writing: “Pelosi said that ‘leaders take responsibility’ and do not blame others. However, when asked about her calling people out in mass to Chinatown in late February, she said it was because of what Trump ‘said about Asian Americans.’ Trump did refer to ‘the Chinese virus,’ not citizens.”
Pelosi said that "leaders take responsibility" and do not blame others. However, when asked about her calling people out in mass to Chinatown in late February, she said it was because of what Trump "said about Asian Americans." Trump did refer to "the Chinese virus," not citizens
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 19, 2020
Once again, Turley is correct.
Trump never made negative remarks about “Asian-Americans,” and he called the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” three weeks after she encouraged people to visit Chinatown in San Francisco.
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
WALLACE: You, as you are right now, have been very critical of President Trump especially for what you say is the time that he lost initially in January and February in responding to the virus. But I — I want to point out that on February 24th, you went on a walking tour of Chinatown to try to promote tourism there and here is some of what you had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: That’s what we’re trying to do today is to say, everything is fine here. Come, because precautions have been taken.
We think it’s very safe to be in Chinatown and hope that others will come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: If the president underplayed the threat in the early days, Speaker Pelosi, didn’t you as well?
PELOSI: No. What we’re trying to do is to end the discrimination, the stigma, that was going out against the Asian-American community. In fact, if you will look the record will show that our Chinatown has been a model of containing and — and preventing the virus.
So I’m confident in our folks there and thought it was necessary to offset some of the things that the president and others were saying about Asian- Americans and making them a target. A target of violence across the country — hate crimes —
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: But — but — forgive me, don’t you think — don’t you think that you — you — when you’re about walking without any mask, I understand this is February not April when this happened and saying that there’s no threat. It’s perfectly safe there.
Weren’t you also adding to this perception that there wasn’t such a threat generally?
PELOSI: No. I was saying that you should not discriminate against — discriminate against Chinese-Americans as some in our administration were doing by the way they were labeling the flu and that, no indeed. And again, I think you — if you check the record and it’s current you will see that our — that Chinatown has been a model in all of this.
And so, what we’re saying, look to them for answers, don’t look to them to place blame.
WALLACE: As you know, protests against the stay-at-home orders are growing across the country. People are taking to the streets, pushing back against some of the more stringent restrictions in some states.
Can you understand why they’re doing that?
PELOSI: No, not really. Because what we have to do is — is — is shelter- in- place. That is really the answer. Testing, tracing, treatment, shelter- in-place, and I do think that it’s unfortunate — but you know people will do what they do.
But the fact is we’re all impatient. We all want out but what they’re doing is really unfortunate because what is great though is the America — are the American people. The American people know that the good health of themselves and their families and their loved ones is what is important and that’s why you have seen such an overwhelming commitment to shelter-in- place, distancing — people distancing.
Because really it is the key to how we will open up our economy. The health issue is the key to opening up the economy. Unfortunately, this — what you see there is, you know, they’re not respectful to whatever people think that they should say, but the fact is, this has to be science-based, evidence-based, data-based and evidence and the science and the data says shelter-in-place, testing, contact testing — tracing, treatment, quarantine is the answer to opening up our economy sooner.
And I think, by the way, if I just may add. I do think is a major distraction from testing, testing, testing.