Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) responded to the news that Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges regarding the death of George Floyd, saying she was “relieved.” Her response comes just hours after Democrats blocked a resolution censuring Waters for previous comments on the Chauvin trial.
“You know someone said it better than me: I’m not celebrating, I’m relieved,” Waters told reporters moments after the verdict was announced, according to Fox News.
This past weekend, Waters joined protesters in Minneapolis and drew widespread criticism for appearing to incite violence in response to the Chauvin trial.
“Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said on Saturday night that if Derek Chauvin is not found guilty of murder for the death of George Floyd that activists must ‘get more confrontational’ on ‘the street’ because the activists need to ‘make sure that they know we mean business,’” reported The Daily Wire.
“We’re looking for a guilty verdict. We’re looking for a guilty verdict. And we’re looking to see if all of this [inaudible] that took place and has been taking place after they saw what happened to George Floyd,” Waters said. “If nothing does not happen, then we know, that we’ve got to not only stay in the street, but we’ve got to fight for justice, but I am very hopefully and I hope that we’re going to get a verdict that will say guilty, guilty, guilty. And if we don’t, we cannot go away.”
As The Daily Wire noted, Judge Peter Cahill, who presided over the Chauvin trial, “slammed Waters during closing arguments on Monday when defense attorney Eric Nelson sought to have the case dismissed because, as he argued, Waters’ remarks can be ‘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.’”
Cahill notably responded by saying, “I’ll give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned.”
The Washington Post reported earlier today that “Democrats held firm in their support for Waters with all party members voting to ‘table,’ or kill, the censure resolution introduced by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, 216-210.”