Nancy Pelosi Thanks George Floyd for “Sacrificing” Himself by Being Killed by the Police

Seriously?

Bill Clark/Congressional Quarterly/Zuma

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Following the conviction of Derek Chauvin on three charges in the murder of George Floyd, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bizarrely thanked Floyd for “sacrificing” himself by dying on the ground beneath a police officer’s knee.

“Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice,” Pelosi said, looking up at the sky as if speaking to Floyd in heaven, “for being there to call out to your mom—how heartbreaking was that?—call out for your mom, ‘I can’t breathe.'”

The statement has already been criticized by many. Floyd was not a martyr willingly sacrificing himself for a cause. He didn’t want to die, and his death shouldn’t have been a prerequisite for police reform.

While the circumstances are different, it’s also hard not to hear Pelosi’s comment and remember President Trump’s statement, following the release of a promising jobs report, that, “Hopefully George is looking down right now and saying this is a great thing that is happening for our country.”

On Tuesday afternoon, other politicians spoke forcefully for more changes to policing, noting the verdict is good news but the work is far from done. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said the verdict was “accountability, but it’s not yet justice.” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison made a similar statement.

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