Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned protesters for expanding the efforts to pull down and defacing confederate statues and monuments of former US presidents.
In a morning address on the Senate floor McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, was baffled by the growing list of monuments being targeted including the likes of President George Washington and President Thomas Jefferson.
“The crazy fringe is treating their monuments like vanity statues of ten-horned tyrants. Our founding fathers are being roped to the ground like they were Saddam Hussein,” McConnell said.
The momentum to remove controversial statues comes as America wrestles with issues of racism sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.
In his speech, Senator McConnell said Americans should pursue alternatives to raising their concerns and suggested keeping protests peaceful and having “nuanced conversations” about the country’s future and it’s complex past.
“But this lawlessness serves none of that,” McConnell said. “It’s just an alliance of convenience between angry criminals who think it’s fun to wreak havoc and a slice of elite society that profits off saying our country is evil and deserves the abuse. Enough, Madam President. Enough!”
Protesters tried to pull down a statue of President Andrew Jackson near the White House Monday night, June 22 before being dispersed by police.
McConnell seemed to support President Donald Trump’s plan to sign an executive order to protect the monuments on public property by subjecting violators to fines and up to 10 years in prison.
“It is past time for that courage to be replicated in every city, every night until Americans have the peace and the rule of law that all of our citizens deserve,” McConnell said.
The Republican leader also urged Democrats to support their policing bill deemed “The Justice Act”.
The legislation would create a national database of police use-of-force incidents, restrict police choke holds, and set up new training procedures. It is not as sweeping as a Democratic proposal but has similar provisions.
Tops Democrats signal an intent to block the bill and demand negotiations on a new, more bipartisan package in response to the killing of Black Americans, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press.
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