Pelosi won't apologize for saying Senate Republicans are 'trying to get away with the murder of George Floyd'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is standing by a harsh accusation she threw at Senate Republicans on Tuesday.

In an interview with CBS News, Pelosi accused Senate Republicans of admitting their police reform bill doesn't go far enough but refusing to revise it anyway, saying "they're trying to get away with murder, actually — the murder of George Floyd." The Senate GOP called for Pelosi to apologize for those "disgusting comments," but when asked on Wednesday, Pelosi said she would "absolutely, positively not."

"I think you in the press have given them far too much credit for a bill that does nothing," Pelosi said Wednesday after acknowledging her comment about Floyd's death. "You're saying, you have their bill, they have theirs. Their bill does nothing," she continued.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Senate Republicans' police reform bill would encourage law enforcement departments to restrict the use of chokeholds — it wouldn't outright ban them, but would withhold aid from those who don't adhere to the new guidelines. New training measures would also be conditional to receive funding, but other hot-button issues such as no-knock warrants and qualified immunity aren't explicitly mentioned in the bill. House Democrats' proposal would ban no-knock warrants in drug cases and ban chokeholds, as well as create a federal registry of police misconduct. Senate Democrats blocked the Republican proposal on Wednesday.