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| Trump claims racist tweets at congresswomen were 'not racist' – live | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Here’s video of the moment when minority leader McCarthy is asked whether Trump’s tweets were racist: | |
| Reporter: Were the president's tweets that said "go back" racist?McCarthy: No. And I do not believe the speaker of the House was racist last week when [the Squad], who are claiming the president is racist, when they claimed she was racist either pic.twitter.com/twfenQfyau | |
| McCarthy announces last question. He’s asked whether he agrees with Trump’s reported assessment of former House speaker Paul Ryan as “stupid.” | |
| McCarthy says Ryan was a “great Speaker” and calls him a great friend. Then McCarthy suggests that the quote is made up. | |
| They are done. They walk out to somebody saying “a question? On socialism?” | |
| Those were the great themes of the conference: Socialism, impeachment, and a supposed clash of ideologies – as opposed to a clash of bigotries – that defines the current political showdown. | |
| The strategy was to attack the four members of Congress who warned the public in a news conference yesterday “do not take the bait” – in a fight Republicans seem eager to escalate. | |
| In any case, the Republican House leadership stands foursquare behind the president. Were the president’s tweets racist? A one-word answer: No. | |
| “Let’s not be false about what is happening here today,” McCarthy says. “This is all about politics and beliefs about ideologies that people have.” | |
| Then he gets a question about lifting an imminent debt ceiling (early September or sooner). “We should not leave before getting that,” he says. | |
| Next Q: Were the president’s “go back” to your country tweets racist? | |
| A flat “No” from McCarthy. | |
| Then he says such charges amount to a cynical political play by Democrats. | |
| “This is more from their base, this is about politics,” McCarthy says. | |
| He also frames the conflict thus: “This is about ideology. This is about socialism vs freedom.” | |
| He says he will vote ‘No’ on the House resolution condemning Trump’s tweets. | |
| “This party has been very clear,” he says. “We are the party of Lincoln.” | |
| First question from the media. Why can’t Congress pass comprehensive immigration reform? | |
| McCarthy... blames the Democrats. With Donald Trump in office, the rock in the stream blocking immigration reform is the Democratic House majority. | |
| “We should act,” McCarthy says. “The responsibility lies with us... we should make sure that we fix this problem.” Sounds promising. | |
| Representative Steve Scalise now attacks Reps Omar and Pressley – though he does use the honorific, just their last names. | |
| Scalise attacks the pair for having “personally attack[ed] president Trump instead of focusing on issues that help the economy.” | |
| He accuses them of saying “false and misleading things from this microphone. Omar continues to use terms like ‘people drinking out of toilets’ – it’s not happening in any of the detention facilities.” | |
| Those reports did not come from Omar exclusively of course, they are documented in multiple watchdog reports from Clint, Texas and elsewhere. | |
| “Pressley would not even refer to the president by the title,” Scalise complains. | |
| Republicans are lamenting an erosion of decorum, echoing Trump’s recent tweets complaining about the “racist” charge. | |
| Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, is now speaking. | |
| The House Republicans have emerged. Representative Liz Cheney (daughter of Dick) of Wyoming speaks first. | |
| She makes a speech that basically asserts that “Go back to your country” is a policy critique. | |
| She does not use the word racist but repeats and repeats the word “socialist” and attacks Democrats for supporting abortion rights and for wanting, she says, to “force the American people to pay for free healthcare for illegal immigrants.” | |
| “Our opposition to our socialist colleagues has absolutely nothing to do with their gender, their religion or their race,” Cheney says. | |
| “Our opposition... has absolutely nothing to do with race, or gender or religion,” she repeats. “The issue here is the content of their policies”. | |
| “Go back to your country”: a policy critique. | |
| The president tweets that he does not have a racist bone in his body and calls a planned House vote today condemning them a “Democrat con game”. He says that the four women members of Congress who have confronted his racism “hate our Country” and argues that he has hit on a political winner. | The president tweets that he does not have a racist bone in his body and calls a planned House vote today condemning them a “Democrat con game”. He says that the four women members of Congress who have confronted his racism “hate our Country” and argues that he has hit on a political winner. |
| .....Congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country. Get a list of the HORRIBLE things they have said. Omar is polling at 8%, Cortez at 21%. Nancy Pelosi tried to push them away, but now they are forever wedded to the Democrat Party. See you in 2020! | .....Congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country. Get a list of the HORRIBLE things they have said. Omar is polling at 8%, Cortez at 21%. Nancy Pelosi tried to push them away, but now they are forever wedded to the Democrat Party. See you in 2020! |
| Is this sheet music for Republicans to sing from at their news conferences today? Will McCarthy et al. echo Trump’s charged denial that it is not racist to tell a person of color (who is American) to “go back” to their country? | Is this sheet music for Republicans to sing from at their news conferences today? Will McCarthy et al. echo Trump’s charged denial that it is not racist to tell a person of color (who is American) to “go back” to their country? |
| In a few minutes we’re due to hear from the House Republican leadership: Reps. Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Liz Cheney and Virginia Foxx. | In a few minutes we’re due to hear from the House Republican leadership: Reps. Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Liz Cheney and Virginia Foxx. |
| Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have decided not to bring charges against a police officer involved in the death five years ago of Eric Garner, whose dying words “I can’t breathe” helped to galvanize a national movement against police violence. | Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have decided not to bring charges against a police officer involved in the death five years ago of Eric Garner, whose dying words “I can’t breathe” helped to galvanize a national movement against police violence. |
| The justice department planned to tell Garner’s family on Tuesday morning that no charges would be brought against officer Daniel Pantaleo, the New York Times first reported. Pantaleo has been on desk duty since Garner’s death. He is awaiting the results of a police department review of the incident. | The justice department planned to tell Garner’s family on Tuesday morning that no charges would be brought against officer Daniel Pantaleo, the New York Times first reported. Pantaleo has been on desk duty since Garner’s death. He is awaiting the results of a police department review of the incident. |
| Pantaleo threw Garner to a sidewalk in Staten Island, NY, using a banned chokehold, and the victim suffered a fatal asthma attack. Read further: | Pantaleo threw Garner to a sidewalk in Staten Island, NY, using a banned chokehold, and the victim suffered a fatal asthma attack. Read further: |
| Five years on, New York officer who put Eric Garner in chokehold faces trial | Five years on, New York officer who put Eric Garner in chokehold faces trial |
| Cardi B, the chart-topping, Grammy-decorated entertainer, is feeling the Bern: | Cardi B, the chart-topping, Grammy-decorated entertainer, is feeling the Bern: |
| I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016 This man been fighting for equal rights,HUMAN rights for such along time.Seeing this country become a better place been really his passion for a long time not a new front for a campaign. | I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016 This man been fighting for equal rights,HUMAN rights for such along time.Seeing this country become a better place been really his passion for a long time not a new front for a campaign. |
| Sanders as we speak is in a live chat with Washington Post reporter Robert Costa. He’s not letting his hosts off easy, zinging Jeff Bezos and the sponsors. | Sanders as we speak is in a live chat with Washington Post reporter Robert Costa. He’s not letting his hosts off easy, zinging Jeff Bezos and the sponsors. |
| .@BernieSanders sits down for a live interview with the Washington Post, and after the introduction asks: "Is this really sponsored by Bank of America?" | .@BernieSanders sits down for a live interview with the Washington Post, and after the introduction asks: "Is this really sponsored by Bank of America?" |
| In their news conference Monday afternoon, the four congresswomen attacked by Trump – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley – warned the public, “do not take the bait”. The line pointed to the perceived political risk for Democrats of giving in to an identity-politics war that Trump has eagerly joined. | In their news conference Monday afternoon, the four congresswomen attacked by Trump – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley – warned the public, “do not take the bait”. The line pointed to the perceived political risk for Democrats of giving in to an identity-politics war that Trump has eagerly joined. |
| “The more media/Dems engage him, the better for him,” tweets Amy Walter, the national editor of the Cook Political Report, on Twitter. | “The more media/Dems engage him, the better for him,” tweets Amy Walter, the national editor of the Cook Political Report, on Twitter. |
| This fight w/ the squad is exactly where Trump wants 2020 fought. The more media/Dems engage him, the better for him. All this fight does is re-polarize the partisans and leaves the up-for-grabs voters (who want to hear about bread-butter issues ) tuned out. | This fight w/ the squad is exactly where Trump wants 2020 fought. The more media/Dems engage him, the better for him. All this fight does is re-polarize the partisans and leaves the up-for-grabs voters (who want to hear about bread-butter issues ) tuned out. |
| But is Trump really playing political chess here? The New York Times’ Alex Burns notes that the last political play Trump made on the eve of an election was to fearmonger about migrant “caravans” moving through Central America – and that did not work at all: | But is Trump really playing political chess here? The New York Times’ Alex Burns notes that the last political play Trump made on the eve of an election was to fearmonger about migrant “caravans” moving through Central America – and that did not work at all: |
| This was also the theory behind making migrant caravans the closing argument in the midterms https://t.co/POsgihlz5C | This was also the theory behind making migrant caravans the closing argument in the midterms https://t.co/POsgihlz5C |
| For more along these lines, read Guardian Washington bureau chief David Smith (@smithinamerica): | For more along these lines, read Guardian Washington bureau chief David Smith (@smithinamerica): |
| It was foul and repugnant. But was it a vote winner? | It was foul and repugnant. But was it a vote winner? |
| Donald Trump’s bigoted tirade against four congresswoman of colour, telling them to “go back” to the countries they came from, prompted widespread revulsion – the comments “drip with racism”, said the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer – and yet will not necessarily damage his chances of reelection. | Donald Trump’s bigoted tirade against four congresswoman of colour, telling them to “go back” to the countries they came from, prompted widespread revulsion – the comments “drip with racism”, said the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer – and yet will not necessarily damage his chances of reelection. |
| On the contrary, the US president seems to regard divisive and nativist rhetoric as his best chance of clinging on to the White House next year. And, analysts say, he may be right. | On the contrary, the US president seems to regard divisive and nativist rhetoric as his best chance of clinging on to the White House next year. And, analysts say, he may be right. |
| Read further: | Read further: |
| 'His only tool is racism': why Trump's bigoted tirade could be a vote winner | 'His only tool is racism': why Trump's bigoted tirade could be a vote winner |
| Hello and welcome to our live politics coverage. | Hello and welcome to our live politics coverage. |
| After two days of silence on Donald Trump’s “go back where you came from” tweets attacking four members of congress who are also women of color, the Republican leadership faces something of a moment of truth on Tuesday, with both the House and Senate leadership due to face reporters in their weekly news conferences. | After two days of silence on Donald Trump’s “go back where you came from” tweets attacking four members of congress who are also women of color, the Republican leadership faces something of a moment of truth on Tuesday, with both the House and Senate leadership due to face reporters in their weekly news conferences. |
| The House leadership speaks at 10am ET, the Senate at 2pm. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Monday that he would “be happy” to take questions about whether the party stands behind the president’s racist attack on the members of Congress, which Trump kept up on Twitter on Tuesday morning. | The House leadership speaks at 10am ET, the Senate at 2pm. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Monday that he would “be happy” to take questions about whether the party stands behind the president’s racist attack on the members of Congress, which Trump kept up on Twitter on Tuesday morning. |
| This evening Republicans in the House will face another test, when the body is expected to vote on a resolution (text here) “condemning president Trump’s racist comments directed at members of Congress”. Extremely few Republicans have indicated support for the resolution. | This evening Republicans in the House will face another test, when the body is expected to vote on a resolution (text here) “condemning president Trump’s racist comments directed at members of Congress”. Extremely few Republicans have indicated support for the resolution. |
| The congresswomen convened a joint news conference on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon in which they accused Trump of following an “agenda of white nationalists” and exhorted, “do not take the bait”. | The congresswomen convened a joint news conference on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon in which they accused Trump of following an “agenda of white nationalists” and exhorted, “do not take the bait”. |
| 'Do not take the bait': congresswomen denounce racist Trump attack | 'Do not take the bait': congresswomen denounce racist Trump attack |
| Two other major events were planned on the Hill Tuesday. At noon, the House is expected to vote to hold attorney general William Barr and commerce secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for forestalling congressional investigations into the Trump administration effort to include a citizenship question on the 2020 US Census. | Two other major events were planned on the Hill Tuesday. At noon, the House is expected to vote to hold attorney general William Barr and commerce secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for forestalling congressional investigations into the Trump administration effort to include a citizenship question on the 2020 US Census. |
| At 2pm, representatives of the big tech companies – Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple – were scheduled to testify before a House judiciary subcommittee about “online platforms and market power.” We’ll be following that in real time right here. | At 2pm, representatives of the big tech companies – Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple – were scheduled to testify before a House judiciary subcommittee about “online platforms and market power.” We’ll be following that in real time right here. |
| We’ll also be chasing the 2020 Democratic candidates. Thanks for joining us. | We’ll also be chasing the 2020 Democratic candidates. Thanks for joining us. |