Clyburn says Trump should not suggest he’s being lynched: ‘I know the history of that word’

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (R-S.C.) said on Tuesday that he was offended by President Trump’s comparison of the ongoing impeachment inquiry against him to a “lynching.”

“I’m a product of the South. I know the history of that word,” Clyburn, who is one of the most influential black lawmakers on Capitol Hill, said during an appearance on CNN. “That is a word that we ought to be very, very careful about using.”

{mosads}He added that he believes Trump “is prone to inflammatory statements, and that is one word that no president ought to apply to himself.” 

Clyburn’s comments came shortly after Trump likened the political process of impeachment to lynching, his latest racially charged statement.

“So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights,” Trump tweeted.

“All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here — a lynching,” he added. “But we will WIN!”

So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019

Other politicians, including Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), a civil rights activist who founded a chapter of the Black Panthers in the 1960s, have already condemned Trump’s tweet.

Rush called on Trump to delete the post.

“You think this impeachment is a LYNCHING? What the hell is wrong with you?” Rush tweeted. “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. Delete this tweet.”