Nancy Pelosi, addressing the jury’s decision to find former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges for the murder of George Floyd, looked to the sky and thanked the victim for “sacrificing your life for justice.”
Pelosi commented on the Chauvin verdict after speaking at an event with the Congressional Black Caucus.
With her face lifted toward the heavens, the House Speaker thanked Floyd for ‘giving his life.’
“Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice,” she said. “For being there to call out to your mom, how heartbreaking was that?”
“And because of you … your name will always be synonymous with justice.”
Speaker Pelosi: “Thank you George Floyd for sacrificing your life for justice … Because of you and because of thousands, millions of people around the world who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous with justice.”pic.twitter.com/JfapSsKdtX
— The Recount (@therecount) April 20, 2021
Pelosi’s Comments On George Floyd Generate Outrage
While Pelosi was applauding George Floyd for his efforts, CNN reported that the California Democrat’s comments “drew swift criticism.”
As such, she tweeted a statement in an attempt to clarify her comments.
“George Floyd should be alive today,” she said, sharing a reporter’s quote of her previous comments.
“His family’s calls for justice for his murder were heard around the world. He did not die in vain,” Pelosi added. “We must make sure other families don’t suffer the same racism, violence [and] pain …”
George Floyd should be alive today. His family’s calls for justice for his murder were heard around the world. He did not die in vain. We must make sure other families don’t suffer the same racism, violence & pain, and we must enact the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicing Act. https://t.co/tWln9NRg1g
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 20, 2021
Damage Control
Pelosi’s original statement caused outrage. The follow-up tweet was clearly meant as damage control.
Astead W. Herndon, a national political reporter for the New York Times, tweeted his confusion over Pelosi’s words: “Thank you George Floyd … for being murdered?”
Writer Allie Goertz called Pelosi’s speech thanking George Floyd for giving his life “disgusting.”
Is this real?! What a disgusting thing to say. George Floyd didn’t “sacrifice” himself for white people to learn a lesson. He was murdered and should be alive today.
— Allie Goertz (@AllieGoertz) April 20, 2021
New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz responded, “What in the actual f?”
Pelosi is now using the Chauvin verdict to push for police reform, saying “we must enact the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicing Act.”
Last summer, Democrats refused to work with Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), blocking his police reform bill which reasonably sought to promote minority hiring within police departments, implement a database to hold bad cops accountable, and would restrict chokeholds.
Pelosi believed simply restricting the chokehold was not good enough and accused Republicans like Scott of “trying to get away with … the murder of George Floyd.”
UNHINGED: Nancy Pelosi accuses Republican senators of “trying to get away with murder, actually, the murder of George Floyd”https://t.co/e8pdwnSUdG pic.twitter.com/tK2dFyy1Px
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 23, 2020
I thought accusing the GOP of trying to get away with the murder of George Floyd was bizarre.
Pelosi just cranked up the insanity to eleven by essentially thanking Floyd for ‘taking one for the team.’
ThinkCivics researches, examines, and reports on issues that matter most. We deliver explanative, fearless, and insightful analysis for public consumption.
