House Rejects GOP Bid to Censure Rep. Maxine Waters Over Derek Chauvin Trial Remarks

The House has rejected an effort from the Republicans to censure Representative Maxine Waters over her remarks at a protest over the weekend in Minneapolis, where the murder trial of Derek Chauvin is being held.

Republicans argued that Waters incited violence for saying to "stay on the street" and "get more confrontational" if Chauvin was found not guilty in the death of George Floyd, The Hill reported.

Waters gave her comments in front of a crowd of protesters in Brooklyn Center on Sunday, while the Derek Chauvin trial is ongoing. Her remarks also came in light of the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, who is a Black man killed by a cop in Minnesota.

With no defections from both sides, lawmakers voted 216-210 to set aside the resolution from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

House on Censuring Maxine Waters

The voting for censuring Maxine Waters happened before the jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of all three charges in George Floyd's murder, Los Angeles Times reported.

It can be recalled that Kevin McCarthy slammed Waters for her comments. He condemned her words, adding that Waters broke the law by "violating the curfew and then incited violence."

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill, the judge overseeing Chauvin's murder case, said it was abhorrent of Waters to tell those comments in front of the protesters.

Cahill noted that these comments might be a ground for the defense to appeal for a mistrial.

The House was in heat as the Democrats labeled the Republicans as hypocrites knowing that the party has defended former President Donald Trump and other GOP lawmakers, who had been accused of inciting mob attack at the U.S. Capitol last Jan. 6.

Some Democrats blasted McCarthy, saying that the minority leader has no business criticizing Waters, New York Daily News reported.

"Kevin McCarthy should focus on his own conference," said New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries added that the GOP members in the House "are a mess right now."

But House Minority Whip Steve Scalise noted that Democrats are the ones who are hypocrites because they "only want to speak out on one side of the aisle."

"Right now I haven't heard any Democrats speaking out against what Maxine has said," said Scalise. The Louisiana representative noted that the Democrats need to voice out the issues on both parties.

"I haven't heard Maxine saying anything about peacefully protesting," said Scalise said.

Maxine Waters on Censuring Her

Maxine Waters shrugged off the criticisms thrown at her, emphasizing that she has always promoted nonviolence. Waters, who also accused the Republicans of "bullying" her, confidently stood while the voting for censuring her was ongoing.

Los Angeles Times reported that the California representative was chatting with other lawmakers while occasionally looking at the vote tally in the chamber.

"I don't want to hurt them or hurt their chances of re-election," said Waters as she offered her sympathies for her colleagues.

Waters noted that she wanted to make sure that her colleagues were comfortable with her kind of advocacy to "be sure that we can do the right thing."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Waters, arguing that the representative talked about "confrontation in the manner of civil rights movement." She added that for that, Waters does not need to apologize.

Waters maintained that she was not encouraging violence. She said she was just confronting the justice system, the policing that's going on, and talking about speaking up and about "elected officials doing what needs to be done."

The Hill noted that the resolution from McCarthy against Waters would have issued the chamber's harshest disapproval short of expulsion.

WATCH: Ted Cruz Makes the Case for Censuring Maxine Waters - From Fox News