Pelosi Calls for Confederate Statues to Be Removed from Capitol

Cory Booker, New Jersey Democrat, announced plans to introduce legislation to remove the Confederate statues from the Capitol.

Booker, one three African-Americans now serving in the Senate, added that removing the roughly 12 Confederate statues would be "just one step. We have much work to do".

Nine statues dedicated to honoring various Confederate figures stand in the Capitol, including Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and John C. Calhoun.

"If Republicans are serious about rejecting white supremacy", Ms. Pelosi added, "I call upon Speaker Ryan to join Democrats to remove the Confederate statues from the Capitol immediately". He did not offer any information as to when he would introduce his bill.

House Minority Leader and California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is calling for the removal of Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol.

As a growing number of American cities work to remove statues commemorating the Confederacy, Trump defended the statues again Thursday, arguing that removing them uproots American "culture" and history.

"The Confederate statues in the halls of Congress have always been reprehensible", Ms. Pelosi said, putting pressure on the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, to act.

President Trump has expressed opposition to the removal of statues in the wake of Charlottesville and tweeted Thursday morning about the issue. "You ... can't change history, but you can learn from it".

Roughly half of those symbols - 718 of them as of previous year - are monuments and statues.