U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) is blaming President Donald Trump for the violent riots in Los Angeles, which she said are meant to be a distraction from what's going on in Washington.
Sewell posted a video on X on Tuesday, saying she would vote against an upcoming rescission package that would cut millions in funding, including to NPR and USAID.
"It's another attempt to give a tax cut to the wealthy and the well-connected," she said.
She then went on to address the ongoing riots in Los Angeles, California, over the deportation of illegal aliens, echoing the state's Democrat governor, Gavin Newsom, by accusing Trump of intentionally "escalating" the situation as a diversion.
"In terms of chaos, we all know that over the weekend in Los Angeles, we saw an escalation of protests that was caused specifically because the president wanted to federalize and has federalized over 400 National Guard troops and 700 Marines in its efforts for mass deportation of immigrants," Sewell said, apparently referring to illegal aliens.
"We're better than this. We are," she continued. "I know none of us want violent protests, but what he saw in Los Angeles, up until the president federalized the National Guard, we saw peaceful protests. All that we've seen since he's done so is an escalation of violence. To come into a community without the approval of the governor, without the approval of the mayor, and to cause such chaos is just another effort, in my opinion, to distract us all from the real things that are going on here in Washington. He wants to sow seeds of confusion and distraction, and we have to stay focused… Let's not be distracted; let's not be confused. Let's concentrate on what these cuts will mean to our communities and to the most vulnerable among us. Stay tuned, and remember, keep the faith."
Hours before Sewell's video, Vice President JD Vance shot down the argument that Trump escalated the violence in Los Angeles, pointing out that cars were already being burned and damage was already being done before the National Guard was deployed.
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