Duffy says ‘anti-American’ remark misunderstood
Comment was referring to Trump’s claims, he says
WASHINGTON - GOP Congressman Sean Duffy denied in an interview Wednesday that he accused four Democratic congresswomen of being “antiAmerican” on the floor of the U.S. House, as was reported in many media outlets.
Duffy said his comments were misinterpreted.
The congressman said he was referring to the fact that President Donald Trump had accused certain Democrats of being antiAmerican, but that he was not leveling that charge himself.
Describing his remarks, Duffy said: “I don’t call them anti-American.”
Here is what Duffy, a Republican from the 7th District of Wisconsin, said on the House floor Tuesday during the debate over a Democratic resolution condemning the president for making racist statements:
“I’ve looked closely at the chain of three tweets sent out by Pres. Trump, and in those tweets, I see nothing that references anybody’s race. Not a thing. I don’t see anyone’s name being referenced in the tweets. But the president’s referring to people, congresswomen, who are anti-American. And lo and behold, everybody in this chamber knows who he’s talking about. Who are the anti-American members of Congress? He didn’t say their names. He did not say their race, but he commented on how they view America. And we all know who he’s talking about.”
The targets of Trump’s tweets are widely understood to be four minority congresswomen known as “The Squad”: Reps. Alexandria OcasioCortez, D-N.Y.; Ilhan Omar, D-,Minn.; Ayanna Pressley D-Mass.; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
A Democratic colleague objected to Duffy’s remarks, saying “that is completely inappropriate to tell any of us we are anti-American.”
Duffy said in the interview Wednesday that when he said, “the president’s referring to people, congresswomen, who are anti-American,” he was referring to Trump’s characterization of those House members as anti-American, not making the charge himself.
Duffy said he was making an argument that if Trump accused unnamed Democrats of being anti-American, and it was widely assumed by Democrats and by journalists that Trump was referring to these four lawmakers, then for Democrats and the media, “they are the four that must match the definition.”
Asked in the interview Wednesday if he thinks those four congresswomen are anti-American, Duffy said, “I think those four have made anti-American comments. I’ve never called them antiAmerican.”
In his tweets Sunday, the president had said:
“So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run … Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
Three of the four congresswomen were born in the U.S.; the other is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
In suggesting that the Democrats “go back” to where they came from, Trump was using language that has been used many times in the past to attack immigrants of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Duffy suggested on the House floor Tuesday that Trump’s tweets were not racist because he didn’t mention anybody’s race.
Asked in the interview Wednesday if he thinks Trump’s tweets went too far, Duffy said, “I wouldn’t use the president’s language or the president’s tone. I’ve always said that. But did I think he’s making a point that you have some people who don’t like this country and make anti-American comments? I don’t think he went too far (in that regard).”