Tulsi Gabbard Torches Pelosi For Describing GOP As ‘Enemy Within The House’ – ‘Like Throwing A Match Into A Tinderbox’

Earlier this week, we reported that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had slammed her Republican colleagues as the “enemy within the House.” Now, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is speaking out to let Pelosi know that she feels this was inappropriate of her to say.

Pelosi Attacks Republicans 

Pelosi used her weekly press conference on Thursday to shame Republicans, saying, “I do believe, and I have said this all along, that we will probably need a supplemental for more security for members when the enemy is within the House of Representatives, a threat that members are concerned about in addition to what is happening outside.”

When asked what she meant by “the enemy” within, Pelosi doubled-downed by saying, “It means that we have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress.”

Related: Pelosi Claims ‘The Enemy Is Within The House’ As She Calls Out Armed Colleagues As Security Threats

Gabbard Fires Back

Gabbard went on “The Ingraham Angle” on Friday night to slam Pelosi for these comments.

“This kind of broad, inflammatory rhetoric is like throwing a match into the tinderbox,” Gabbard said of Pelosi’s remarks. As for Pelosi’s claim that Republican lawmakers threatened “violence on other members of Congress,” Gabbard called for Pelosi to get law enforcement involved if the threats are legitimate.

“What Speaker Pelosi is talking about is a very serious thing,” Gabbard told Fox News host Lauran Ingraham. “If there is evidence to back what she is saying … is true, this is a legal issue for law enforcement. Because members of Congress are not above the law either.”

“Isn’t this also inciting?” Ingraham asked. “If you think there is someone among the Republican caucus who’s actively plotting the murder of Nancy Pelosi or other members of Congress, that could then bring violence upon those individuals.”

“That’s really the issue here. If this is a criminal threat, let law enforcement deal with it,” Gabbard replied. “If there is no evidence of what she is talking about, and if it is not true, it is inciting further division and further harm potentially and further destroying the possibility of our country coming together.”

Related: Tulsi Gabbard Hammers Schiff, Brennan As ‘Domestic Enemies’ More Dangerous Than Capitol Protesters

Gabbard Challenges Pelosi

Not stopping there, Gabbard issued a challenge to Pelosi.

“This is why it’s so important for Nancy Pelosi – again if these accusations are baseless – she needs to apologize, not so much to her colleagues but really to the American people who right now, more than ever, need leadership coming from the speaker of the House, who represents all members of Congress and the American people to bring us together,” she said. 

“For her and President Biden to deescalate these tensions, to turn down the temperature, to denounce those who are seeking to undermine our civil liberties and our constitutional rights, and who are inflaming these tensions,” Gabbard continued. “To say, ‘Hey, we’re all Americans, and we need to come together.’”

Ingraham then questioned if Democrats were trying to weaponize the Capitol riots that took place earlier this month “to justify future encroachment on civil liberties.” She added that Democrats may be “setting the stage” for “aggressive gun control,” putting a “wall around the Capitol,” or making Washington, D.C. a state.

“I share your same concerns,” Gabbard said in agreement, reasoning that if the “party in charge can extend this kind of government overreach and using the military and intelligence agencies against people who are of the opposing party or hold different views, then what’s to say the next party who comes in and takes charge can’t do the same? That really leaves us with a banana republic, not a democracy.”

This piece was written by James Samson on January 30, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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