California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi spoke at a press conference where she downplayed the riots that were happening in Los Angeles. She described the chaos as people getting carried away in the excitement of the moment.
This came after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids at a Home Depot in the L.A. area, which sparked protests and led to five days of unrest.
In response, President Trump had sent 700 Marines and federalized National Guard troops to help control the situation.
Pelosi acknowledged that there was a large crowd, and said that while some of the damage might have come from people caught up in the excitement, there were also anarchists using the situation to cause destruction.
She urged people to be careful when judging what they saw like burned cars or broken windows because not all of it might be as it seems.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles police chief warned that some people in the crowd had been launching powerful fireworks at police officers, which could seriously injure or even kill them.
Over the weekend, a video was posted online showing someone throwing rocks at vehicles carrying ICE agents. The FBI identified the person as Elpido Reyna and offered a \$50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Pelosi also took the opportunity to criticize Donald Trump over his actions during the January 6th Capitol riot. She said that on that day, when violence broke out at the Capitol, Congress begged Trump to send the National Guard to protect lawmakers and the building.
But according to Pelosi, Trump refused to act, even as law enforcement officers were being attacked and some later died. She accused him of encouraging the attack and then turning his back on the people trying to defend democracy.
Despite the controversies, Trump’s immigration policies still have strong support from just over half of the American public, based on a collection of recent polls.
