U.S. House Democratic leader Pelosi calls for Confederate statue removal

Reuters
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks at a weekly press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday joined calls for the immediate removal of Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol, shortly after President Donald Trump expressed regret over statues and monuments being removed in some cities. "There is no room for celebrating the violent bigotry of the men of the Confederacy in the hallowed halls of the United States Capitol or in places of honor across the country," Pelosi said in a statement. A spokesman for Republican U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said it was up to U.S. states to determine which statues were displayed on their behalf in the Capitol building. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Richard Cowan; Editing by David Alexander)