Mondaire Jones accuses GOP lawmakers of bringing 'racist trash' to House debate on DC statehood

As lawmakers in the House of Representatives prepared to vote for a second time to make Washington DC the nation’s 51st state, Democratic congressman Mondaire Jones fired back at Republicans who have criticised the effort.

“I have had enough of my colleagues’ racist insinuations that somehow the people of Washington DC are incapable or unworthy of our democracy,” the New York lawmaker told the House of Representatives on Thursday.

The full House voted 216-208 on the symbolically titled HR 51 in a party-line vote to send the measure to the Senate.