Tearful Pelosi Fears Rhetoric Could Lead to Violence

Speaker tears up while recalling late '70s political violence

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 17, 2009 2:30 PM CDT

Copied

Tearful Pelosi Fears Rhetoric Could Lead to Violence — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Fighting back tears, Nancy Pelosi said today she fears the inflammatory rhetoric surrounding current political debate could lead to violence, the Hill reports. “I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw…I saw this myself in the late '70s in San Francisco,” the House speaker said, referring to the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

"This kind of rhetoric is just, is really frightening and it created a climate in which violence took place," said Pelosi. "I wish that we would all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made."
(More Nancy Pelosi stories.)

Report an error