Republicans opposed to Kevin McCarthy's bid for House Speaker nominated Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds this Wednesday as McCarthy continued to fail at reaching the required number of votes to push him through, thanks to about 20 Republican holdouts.
As CNN points out, Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, who nominated Donalds, got standing ovations from both Republicans and Democrats when he said, “For the first time in history there have been two Black Americans placed into the nomination for speaker of the House.” Roy was referring to Donalds and New York Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is also Black.
“We do not seek to judge people by the color of their skin, but the content of their character,” he added, quoting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Not everyone was impressed with Donalds' nomination, namely progressive Missouri Rep. and "Squad" member Cori Bush, who ignited a firestorm of controversy this Wednesday when she fired off a tweet saying that Donalds is "not a historic candidate for Speaker."
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"He is a prop. Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy," she wrote. "His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic."
Bush's tweet was slammed by both liberals and conservatives on Twitter. Black conservative writer Jeff Charles tweeted that the reason Bush called Donalds a "prop" is because "she lacks the ability to debate policy."
"Just one black face attacking another black face to give white progressives a thrill," Charles wrote.
Commentator Batya Ungar-Sargon tweeted: "Less than one third of Black Democrats identify as 'liberal.' Two thirds identify as moderate or conservative. It is an absolute scandal that so many feel they have no choice but to vote for politicians who talk about them this way."
The Twitter account for Free Black Thought clarified that they're not endorsing Donalds -- only "the idea that black people can believe whatever it is they believe without being subjected to the racist defamation of 'perpetuating white supremacy.'"
Donalds himself fired back at Bush in an appearance on Fox Business this Thursday, calling her comments "blatantly outrageous."
"Man, that sucks to be honest with you ... I feel bad that she really put that out there," Donalds told Fox Business host Stuart Varney. "Because if you see a Black man rising, then let the man rise, even if you don't agree with them."
Donalds went on to say that Bush should sit down to debate him "one-on-one"
"As a Black man to a Black woman, I would have never done that to her, it's a shame that she did it to me."
Watch the video below or at this link.
\u201c.@CoriBush, if you see a Black man rise, let the man rise even if you disagree with them. \n\nI\u2019d be happy to sit down and debate our policies one on one whenever you\u2019d like. \n\nAs a Black man to a Black woman, I\u2019d never do that to you. It\u2019s a shame you did it to me.\u201d— Congressman Byron Donalds (@Congressman Byron Donalds) 1672929588
