Wednesday on CNN’s “News Central,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said President Donald Trump’s “lies and misinformation” fan the flames of violent incidents like a liquid in a syringe being sprayed on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) at a town hall Tuesday night.
Partial transcript as follows:
KATE BOLDUAN: I want to ask you first about Ilhan Omar, the congresswoman. You heard — Sara has done extensive — she was in the room at the time. Um, Capitol Police have spoken out and said this is a horrendous and this man should be brought to the — have the toughest charges brought against him possible. The president spoke overnight about this and admitted that he had not seen the video but told ABC News ‘She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.’ What’s your reaction to this?
JEFFRIES: Well, that’s a disgusting comment and the president’s lies and misinformation continue to fan the flames of these types of violent incidents. And it’s at a moment like this where we actually need leadership from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and it’s something that we never get from this president. Ilhan Omar, of course, is a strong, courageous, hardworking public servant. This should have never happened. I’m thankful that she is physically OK. She’s mentally strong, as is always the case, and we stand by her.
BOLDUAN: Much more to learn about all of that still.
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