Steve Scalise: Maxine Waters encouraging protests is worse than Trump 'peacefully' inciting an insurrection

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) on Tuesday blasted Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) after she said that protesters in Minnesota should become more "confrontational" if former police officer Derek Chauvin is not found guilty of the death of George Floyd.

At a Republican House Leadership press conference, a reporter suggested that the Republican effort to expel or censure Waters was hypocritical because they refused to support a similar effort against Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who encouraged pro-Trump protesters minutes before they violently stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

For his part, Scalise sidestepped the question about Brooks and used the opportunity to attack Waters.

"I've been very clear in speaking out against any kind of political rhetoric that incites violence," he said. "The fact that Speaker Pelosi covered for her -- she was trying to incite violence and, in fact, there is violence going on right now in Minnesota because of her actions."

"I would like to see Maxine Water apologize for the inflammatory comments that she's made inciting violence," he continued. "It's a powder keg down there. The last thing you want to do is make it worse."

Scalise declined to say whether Brooks should also apologize for his role in the failed insurrection.

A reporter then asked Scalise if Waters' remarks are "on par with the comments of former President Trump made prior to Jan. 6."

"No!" Scalise said emphatically. "In fact, President Trump used the words peaceful when he talked about the statements that he made. I haven't heard Maxine saying anything about peacefully protesting. She's talked about violence, she's talked about -- I think the word is, 'Get more confrontational in the streets' if the verdict goes the wrong way. There's nothing peaceful about that."

Scalise did not address Trump's more incendiary remarks -- like "fight like hell" -- at the Jan. 6 rally that prompted his followers to storm the Capitol.

Watch the video below from C-SPAN.