Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Wednesday that he had no recollection of his fellow Democratic Party colleagues referring to the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles as “peaceful.”
“What do Democrats mean when they say the riots in L.A. are peaceful?” Durbin was asked by a reporter outside the Capitol.
“I never heard them say that,” Durbin responded, leading the reporter to ask Durbin whether he condemned the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, which some have said amount to riots.
“I condemn violence, whether it’s in the Capitol or in L.A.,” Durbin shot back before being ushered away out of earshot.
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The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate may not have heard any of his fellow party members use the word “peaceful” in their descriptions of the ongoing chaos in Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean they have not.
“A lot of these peaceful protests are being generated because the President of the United States is sowing chaos,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC.
Just the day before, President Donald Trump called on thousands of National Guard troops to go to Los Angeles to help quell the ongoing chaos, which has included attacks on law enforcement, property damage and looting.
“The vast majority of protesters and demonstrators are peaceful,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said on MSNBC. “They’re passionate.”
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Rep. Nanette Barragán, a Democrat who represents California’s 44th Congressional District, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday that “We are having an administration that’s targeting peaceful protests.”
Conservative critics also fired back after former Vice President Kamala Harris referred to the ongoing chaos as “overwhelmingly peaceful.”
“The country really dodged a bullet in November,” Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X in response to Harris’ social media post. In another post, Benson added, “Their official position is that they’re appalled by what’s happening in Los Angeles…because of Trump and ICE, not the violent rioters. In its current form, this party cannot be salvaged.”
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Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got heat for describing the situation in Los Angeles as “peaceful.”
“California Governor Newsom didn’t request the National Guard be deployed to his state following peaceful demonstrations. Trump sent them anyway. It’s the first time in 60 years a president has made that choice,” Clinton posted on X. “Trump’s goal isn’t to keep Californians safe. His goal is to cause chaos, because chaos is good for Trump.”
While there were initially examples of some peaceful protests at the start of this nearly weeklong chaos, by the start of the weekend, property destruction and violence broke out and devolved into a situation that became increasingly violent over the next few days. Several officers were injured during the riot, which included rocks and other projectiles thrown at them, and dozens of people were arrested related to the protests and rioting.
Looting has also been an issue, as has property damage, and on Tuesday evening Democrat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass instituted a citywide curfew.
In a rare intraparty dissent, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized his own party this week for failing to adequately condemn the violence in Los Angeles.
“This is anarchy and true chaos,” the Pennsylvania Democrat said in a Monday post on X alongside a picture of cars that had been destroyed by fire. “My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings and assaulting law enforcement.”
“I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations and immigration,” Fetterman added. “But this is not that.”
