Democrats put recent internal squabbles aside to unite in defense of four liberal congresswomen whom President Donald Trump on Sunday told to "go back" and fix the countries they "originally came from" before trying to legislate changes in the United States.
Some congressional Republicans joined Democrats in condemning the tweets – believed to be aimed at Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. At least one Republican congressman defended the remarks and said Trump had been misunderstood. The majority of GOP lawmakers have not commented on the controversy.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was one of the first to weigh in, saying in a Fox News interview on Monday that while he agreed with Trump's criticisms of the four congresswomen's politics, he thought the president should "knock it down a notch" and avoid getting personal in his attacks on them.
"They are American citizens. They won an election. Take on their policies," Graham advised.
"We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of communists. They hate Israel. They hate our own country," Graham said, referring to Ocasio-Cortez by her initials.
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04.24.2024