Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on Thursday expressed indifference about mobs tearing down statues of historical figures across the country.
"People will do what they do," Pelosi said when asked about Baltimore's statue of Christopher Columbus being destroyed by a mob. "I don't even have my grandmother's earrings."
She added that heroic figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln would "want us to be talking about the future," saying that when young people visit the Capitol she tells them, "Everything we do here is about you."
Pelosi's comments come as rioters are pushing to tear down monuments and statues to important historical figures.
Baltimore police did nothing to stop vandals from dragging the statue down from its perch in Little Italy and throwing it piecemeal into the harbor on the night of July 4. Divers recovered bits of it Monday morning, organized by members of the Italian-American community in Baltimore, which is Pelosi’s birthplace.