Connecticut Lawmakers Slam Trump, Call Tweets Racist

Members of Connecticut's congressional delegation weighed into the firestorm Monday surrounding series of what many have called racist tweets from President Donald Trump about four Democratic congresswomen of color.

The president tweeted over the weekend said the congresswomen should go back to the "broken and crime infested" countries they came from, despite all of the women are American citizens and all but one were born in the U.S.

The tweets drew swift condemnation from Democrats, including Connecticut members of Congress.

"But that's the thing - he isn't talking about 'foreign born members of Congress,'" Sen. Chris Murphy tweeted Sunday. "He is saying that if you are black or Hispanic, no matter where you're born, you're not really American. It's just naked, disgusting racism. From the President of the United States."

While President Trump didn't name any of the congresswomen by name initially, it was widely believed he was referring to Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

In a later tweet, President Trump did specifically name Rep. Ocasio-Cortez.

Only Rep. Omar was born outside of the U.S., something Connecticut's 4th District congressman Jim Himes said he knows something about.

"Unlike the Congresswomen @realDonaldTrump attacked today, I actually am a foreign-born Member of Congress. But I'm a while male of European descent, so there's no chance he'll attack me," Himes said in a tweet. "His tantrum has nothing to do with birthplace."

Asked whether Trump's comments were racist, Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, defended Trump, telling reporters he had been responding to "very specific" comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who was born in Somalia, and was not making a "universal statement."

Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the president's tweets "nauseating."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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