The judge in the Derek Chauvin murder trial in the death of George Floyd denied a defense motion Monday to declare a mistrial after recent comments from Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
However, the judge then took the extraordinary step to call out the California lawmaker by name in the courtroom, and said Waters’ remarks during a weekend protest in Minnesota may have been a gift for the defense. “I’ll give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned,” said Judge Peter Cahill.
Rep. Waters told CNN that her comments over the weekend urging protesters to “get more confrontational” if Chauvin is found not guilty were in the context of the protests of the civil rights movements, and did not suggest violence. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters earlier today that Waters should not apologize for her comments.
Of course, Republican lawmakers who spent four years telling reporters, “I didn’t see the tweets,” whenever they were asked about the incendiary comments from former president Trump, wasted no time trying to put Rep. Waters on trial.
Some people on social media find it interesting to see GOP legislators cry outrage over Waters’ comments, yet have bent over backward to avoid criticizing the people who overran the Capitol on January 6.
