Trump’s Comparison of Impeachment to ‘Lynching’ Sparks Fierce Reaction: ‘Vile,’ ‘Disgraceful’
President Trump compared impeachment to lynching Tuesday, sparking immediate backlash online from critics including George Takei, who called the statement “vile,” and other politicians, who condemned the tweet.
After tweeting about the impeachment inquiry announced last month, the president concluded, “So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!”
“Star Trek” actor Takei was among many people who quickly responded to the comment. “Trump compared the impeachment process to a ‘lynching’–to which I have two responses,” tweeted Takei. “One, don’t even try and imply that rich, white men were ever lynched by angry mobs in this country. Vile.”
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He continued, “Two, it’s not a lynching if Nancy Pelosi just gives you enough rope to hang yourself.”
Kamala Harris reminded her Twitter followers that: “Lynching is a reprehensible stain on this nation’s history, as is this President. We’ll never erase the pain and trauma of lynching, and to invoke that torture to whitewash your own corruption is disgraceful.”
Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro responded to the tweet by writing, “It’s beyond shameful to use the word ‘lynching’ to describe being held accountable for your actions.”
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On CNN’s “New Day,” political correspondent Abby Phillip responded in real time, noting that, “It’s also a pattern, as with all things with Trump: using the most inflammatory possible language to make a point about how things are unfair to him, but in doing so, really trying to get into the country’s deep racial wounds.”
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Source: www.thewrap.com