Politics

Pelosi Denounces Trump’s ‘Racist Attacks’ Against Cummings

REUTERS

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the spat between President Donald Trump and Democratic Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings.

The California Democrat called Trump’s attack on Cummings’ congressional district in Baltimore another example of “racist attacks.” Earlier Trump had described of Cummings’ congressional home of Baltimore as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) speaks to the press on June 11, 2019 on Capitol Hill. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) speaks to the press on June 11, 2019 on Capitol Hill. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“@RepCummings is a champion in the Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague. We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership,” Pelosi tweeted. (RELATED: Pelosi Says Trump ‘Is Goading Us To Impeach Him’)

Trump went after Cummings’ congressional district after the congressman criticized the president’s border policies. Trump suggested the congressman’s backyard was in worse shape than some parts of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Cummings was quick to respond, stating, “I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors.” Cummings further insisted that it was his “constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch.”

Pelosi has frequently suggested Trump’s choice of words and polices are racist, charging that the president’s merit-based immigration policy is really about trying to “make America white again.” (RELATED: Pelosi Reportedly Says Impeachment Too Good For Trump, Should Be ‘In Prison’)

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 24: Judiciary Committee Chair Jerold Nadler (D-NY), speaks alongside Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), at a news conference after former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's testimony on July 24, 2019 in Washington, DC. Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified today before the House Judiciary Committee and dismissed President Trump's claims of total exoneration. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

Judiciary Committee Chair Jerold Nadler (D-NY), speaks alongside Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), at a news conference after former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony on July 24, 2019 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

However, in the wake of this week’s often erratic testimony by former special counsel Robert Mueller, Pelosi reportedly back off even further from attempts to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, arguing that it was not an opportune time.