House GOP won’t condemn Trump
Leaders blame Dems for furor on ‘go back’ tweets
WASHINGTON – House Republican leaders declined Tuesday to condemn President Donald Trump’s racist tweets suggesting four minority Democratic congresswomen should “go back” to where they came from.
GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California told reporters he doesn’t consider Trump’s comments racist and slammed Democrats for planning to bring a resolution to the floor later Tuesday condemning the president’s remarks.
“Let’s not be false about what is happening here today,” McCarthy said. “This is all about politics and beliefs of ideologies.”
Trump’s remarks – which initially came in a series of tweets on Sunday – have created a firestorm and have been widely condemned by congressional Democrats and others as racist language that should not be tolerated, especially by the president of the United States.
Although Trump did not specify who he was referring to, many believe he was talking about Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
Three of those lawmakers were born in the U.S. Omar came to the United States as a refugee from Somalia more than 20 years ago and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Omar and Tlaib are the only two Muslim women in the House.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif., called Trump’s remarks “xenophobic” and said they were meant to divide the nation.
Trump took to Twitter again Tuesday to defend himself and slam the upcoming House vote.
“I don’t have a Racist bone in my body!” Trump tweeted. “The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show ‘weakness’ and fall into their trap.”
In a news conference at the Capitol, GOP leaders also defended Trump and portrayed the upcoming vote as another political attack by Democrats.
Asked whether he considered Trump’s remarks racist, McCarthy said “no.”
“I believe this is about ideology,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, responded to the furor by saying “all of us” should lower the volume on “incendiary rhetoric.”
McConnell, R-Ky., refused to label Trump’s tweets as racist.
“The president’s not a racist,” McConnell flatly told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
The Kentucky senator also declined to single out Trump for escalating racial tensions, instead laying part of the blame on Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, Tlaib and Omar for espousing “vile” and “anti-semitic ... insults.”
“From the president to the Speaker to freshman members of the House, all of us have a responsibility to elevate the public discourse,” said McConnell, the top Republican on Capitol Hill. “Our words do matter.”