Democrats swiftly rebuke Trump for comparing impeachment to 'a lynching'

President Trump's impeachment rhetoric just keeps escalating.

The president once again lashed out Tuesday at the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry, but this time, he did so by labeling it a "lynching." This, CNN's Daniel Dale reports, is the first time Trump has used the word "lynching" during his presidency.

Trump immediately came under fire for this comparison, including from Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), a civil rights activist and member of the Congressional Black Caucus. "Do you know how many people who look like me have been lynched, since the inception of this country, by people who look like you," Rush asked Trump. "Delete this tweet."

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House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) expressed his disgust in a CNN interview as well, saying this is "one word no president ought to apply to himself." He added, "I'm a product of the South. I know the history of that word." 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are also weighing in, with former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro calling the comparison "beyond shameful." Brendan Morrow