CNN commentator Angela Rye didn’t mince words Tuesday when she criticized Democratic bigwigs Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer for their rebuke of recent comments from fellow Democratic lawmaker Maxine Waters.
Rye, a former Congressional Black Caucus adviser, bumped heads with Trump official Steve Cortes during what began as a discussion on House Speaker Paul Ryan’s call for Waters to apologize for her statements encouraging people to harass members of President Donald Trump’s administration. The Congresswoman’s comments not only angered Republicans but sparked criticism from some Democrats, too.
Rye was quick to point out the hypocrisy of the situation, arguing that Waters was being held to a higer standard than other politicians — including the president, who routinely called for violence against protesters who showed up to his campaign rallies.
“My point is very simple: I demand that people stop requiring Congresswoman Waters to behave in one way while everybody else can do something else,” she said, adding that the lawmaker’s comments were “taken out of context.”
Though Waters never called for harm, her remarks drew a reprimand from House Minority Leader Pelosi (D-Calif.), who urged “civility” in the resistance against President Trump and his controversial policies.
In the crucial months ahead, we must strive to make America beautiful again. Trump’s daily lack of civility has provoked responses that are predictable but unacceptable. As we go forward, we must conduct elections in a way that achieves unity from sea to shining sea. https://t.co/vlpqOBLK4R
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 25, 2018
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Majority Leader of the House, also wagged his finger at the longtime California lawmaker and called her comments as “un-American.” The public criticisms, particularly those coming from Democrats, did not sit well with Rye, who accused white Dems of being racially biased.
” … The fact that [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer called what a Black woman said un-American is problematic and this is the reason why Democrats have a hard time uniting the base,” she said. ” … and Nancy Pelosi said let’s ‘make America beautiful again.’ Whose America is she talking about?”
Host Erin Burnett challenged the notion, however, asking if Pelosi and Schumer were barred from criticizing Waters just because she’s Black.
“It has everything to do with the fact that this Black woman is intimidating to some people who can’t handle the truth,” Rye shot back. “It has everything to do with race.”
Watch more in the video above.
