Maxine Waters ignores questions on Chauvin trial comments, tells reporter 'you're being confrontational'

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Rep. Maxine Waters on Tuesday ignored questions about her comments over the weekend that demonstrators should "get more confrontational" if former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is found not guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd. 

Chauvin was found guilty on all charges Tuesday afternoon. 

Before the verdict was read, Waters, D-Calif., was walking from her office to the House floor when a reporter peppered her with several questions on the comments, which led Judge Peter Cahill, who is overseeing the Chauvin trial, to say Waters was "disrespectful to the rule of law." Cahill even went so far as to say Waters may have given Chauvin's defense attorneys a potential avenue to have the trial "overturned" on appeal. 

House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., presides over a markup of pending bills, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 20, 2021.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

DEMOCRATS BLICK MCCARTHY'S MOTION TO CENSURE MAXINE WATERS FOR 'CONFRONTATIONAL REMARKS IN MINNESOTA

The reporter asked Waters if she regretted her comments; her reaction to the vote Republicans called to censure her; if she was concerned how Democrats would vote on the censure resolution; about her reaction to the impending verdict in the Chauvin trial; and if she had any message to Minneapolis, where the Chauvin trial is being held.

"You're being confrontational," Waters said to the reporter, not addressing any of the specific questions.

Waters over the weekend specifically said she wanted a "guilty verdict" and without one, demonstrators should "stay on the street" and "get more confrontational, we've got to make sure they know we mean business."

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The two-page censure resolution brought by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., against Waters over her comments was quickly tabled Tuesday on a party-line vote of 216-210. 

Waters later Tuesday, after the jury verdict against Chauvin was revealed, said that she is "not celebrating, I'm relieved." 

Fox News' Marisa Schultz, Jason Donner and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.