Pelosi Asks to Remove 11 Confederate Statues From Capitol

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants Congress to take down 11 Confederate statues from the United States Capitol.

On Wednesday, Pelosi sent a letter a requesting the removal to a congressional panel that handles Capitol displays, which is led by Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo, and Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

“The halls of Congress are the very heart of our democracy,” Pelosi wrote. “The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation. Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals. Their statues pay homage to hate, not heritage. They must be removed.”