Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) late Wednesday night defended President Donald Trump's calls for protestors in Washington, D.C. to be peaceful. According to Gaetz, the president's calls were far more explicit than Democrats' calls for peace when Black Lives Matter riots broke out across America throughout the summer.
"Madam Speaker, one of the first things we did today when the House convened today was to join together to extend our grace and our kindness and our concern for a colleague who has experienced just an insurmountable amount of grief with his family and I want all of our fellow Americans watching to know that we did that because we care about each other," Gaetz explained on the House floor. "And we don't want bad things to happen to each other and our hearts hurt when they do."
"Now I'm sure there are plenty of folks over there who don't like me too much and there are a few of you that I don't care for too much but had anybody been hurt today, it would have been even more of a catastrophe than we already saw," he said. "And I think that's an important point for the country."
The congressman from Florida went on to remind his colleagues that President Donald Trump asked protestors to be peaceful earlier in the day.
"He was far more – you can moan and groan – but he was far more explicit about his calls for peace than some of the BLM and left-wing rioters were this summer when we saw violence sweep across this nation," he said as his colleagues clapped in agreement.
One of the issues Gaetz had was that those who objected to the certification and wanted a debate were "called seditionists and traitors."
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"Not since 1985 has a Republican president been sworn in absence some Democrat effort to object to the electors but when we do it it's 'the new violation of all norms.' When those things are said people get angry," he explained.
He ended his speech by thanking the men and women in law enforcement who defended the Capitol earlier in the day.
"I'm sure glad that, at least for one day, I didn't hear my Democrat colleagues calling to defund the police," Gaetz said to a loud round of applause.
JUST IN: Rep. Matt Gaetz gives House floor speech that earns him boos and applause: "I'm sure glad that at least for one day, I didn't hear my Democrat colleagues calling to defund the police!" pic.twitter.com/4V5vKeIKzv
— The Hill (@thehill) January 7, 2021
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