Maxine Waters cancels scheduled appearances - and blames Trump's rhetoric for it

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is blaming the rhetoric from President Donald Trump for the increase in hostile messages she says she is receiving, and she says she is cancelling speaking engagements because of it.

Here's what she said

"Now, because my support for the American people's Constitutional right to protest the Administration's current practice of locking up immigrant children in cages and kennels," Waters said in a statement Thursday, "mere weeks after Donald Trump referred to them as 'animals', the President has amplified his attacks against me at his rallies and on social media."

"As the president has continued to lie and falsely claim that I encouraged people to assault his supporters, while also offering a veiled threat that I should 'be careful', even more individuals are leaving threating [sic] messages and sending hostile mail to my office," she explained.

"There was one very serious death threat made against me on Monday from an individual in Texas which is why my planned speaking engagements in Texas and Alabama were cancelled this weekend," Waters continued.

"Shoot, lynch, or case me serious bodily harm"

"This is just one in several very serious threats the United States Capitol Police is investigating in which individuals threatened to shoot, lynch, or cause me serious bodily harm," she concluded.

Waters statement came on the same day as a terrible attack at the offices of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. Five people were confirmed dead by police.

She has also been criticized recently for her own incitement and encouragement of harassment against members of the Trump administration, even by leaders of her own party.

Here's more about Waters' incitement: