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Top House Democrat calls Trump's "lynching" tweet a "historically ignorant statement"

Hakeem Jeffries.
Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImage for The Recording Academy

In an interview with Mike Allen for "Axios on HBO," Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said President Trump's tweet calling the impeachment inquiry against him a "lynching" was "a historically ignorant statement."

  • Trump received pushback from both sides of the aisle over calling the constitutionally authorized process of impeachment a "lynching." Lynching is an especially sensitive topic for African Americans, who were the majority of victims.
  • According to the NAACP, 4,743 lynchings occurred from 1882 to 1968 in the United States. Of those victims, 3,446 of them were black.

What they're saying:

"Thousands of African Americans died in this country as a result of the lynching epidemic for no reason other than the color of their skin. So, yes, when this president compares a constitutionally sanctioned impeachment inquiry to a lynching, that's a historically ignorant statement."
— Jeffries to "Axios on HBO"

Jeffries further defended Democrats' actions against the president, stating: "Our objective from the very beginning has been to find common ground where we can, and we're all committed to trying to do it in a way that is unifying, that brings America together, that is serious."

Go deeper:

Axios on HBO