House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Tuesday that Democrat leaders were “stirring up the pot” by supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement that has spread throughout the country.
At an afternoon press briefing, Cantor stepped back from his earlier statements referring to the Occupy Wall Street protesters as “a growing mob,” but he denounced elected leaders who’ve issued statements of support for what he called the “divisive” rhetoric of the protesters. (RELATED: Tea party groups criticize media coverage of ‘Occupy Wall Street’)
Cantor said elected officials, by endorsing the protesters’ critique of Wall Street bankers and the rich, are “pitting one part of our country against another.”
“We have elected leaders stirring the pot, if you will,” Cantor said. “That’s not good.”
“We’re supposed to be leading for all people,” he continued. “Everyone in this country has a right to speak out, but when elected leaders come in and condone attacks on others in society, that’s not helpful, and that’s not leadership.”