Pols.: Yes, he trashed Africa and Haiti
WASHINGTON WAS a real s-tshow on Friday as President Trump tried to clean up the mess he made by using crass and racist language to describe countries he doesn’t think are worthy of sending immigrants to the U.S.
Senators from both sides of the aisle spoke out as Trump tried to defend himself after reports that he questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and “s--thole countries” in Africa rather than places like Norway.
“The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used,” the President tweeted.
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), one of six lawmakers in the Oval Office, confirmed the reports of Trump’s remarks.
“To no surprise the President started tweeting this morning, denying that he used those words,” Durbin said. “It is not true. He said these hate-filled things and he said them repeatedly.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) issued a statement indicating he confronted Trump during the meeting, but did not publicly condemn the President’s remarks.
“Following comments by the President, I said my piece directly to him yesterday,” he said. “The President and all those attending the meeting know what I said and how I feel.”
Trump reportedly grew animated and exploded at the lawmakers during the White House sitdown as they presented a bipartisan deal to protect immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as well as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and David Perdue(R-Ga.), who were at the meeting, offered a hollow defense of the President in a joint statement.
“(W)e do not recall the President saying these comments specifically,” they said. “What he did call out was the imbalance in our current immigration system.”
Trump refused to answer questions about his comments during a ceremonial signing of a proclamation in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the White House on Friday.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), speaking at an event in his home state, offered a muted response to the offensive outbursts from the President, calling Trump’s words “very unfortunate, unhelpful.”
Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Cedric Richmond(D-La.) announced that they will introduce a resolution next week to censure Trump over his comments.
“The President’s bigoted fear mongering . . . warrant total condemnation and censure from Congress,” the pair said.
Trump reportedly reveled in the stink made by his comments, spending Thursday night dialing up aides, allies and friends and asking them how they thought his quotes were playing out in the press, according to CNN.
A White House official called his initial response a “victory lap.”
The White House did not deny his comments Thursday, which were first reported by The Washington Post, but issued a statement saying that Trump supports immigration policies that welcome “those who can contribute to our society.”
On Twitter, Trump was defiant, criticizing the immigration deal that was being discussed when he made his disparaging remarks, saying: “What was really