Trump on Ky. clerk: ‘I hate to see her put in jail’

Donald Trump says he is saddened that a Kentucky woman is in jail for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

“I hate to see her put in jail,” Trump told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

He added that although he admires Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis’s religious convictions, he believes the public official must obey federal law.

{mosads}“It’s a tough situation,” Trump said of Davis’s stand against same-sex marriage.  “[But] you have to go with it. The Supreme Court has ruled. That’s the law of the land.”

U.S. Marshals took Davis into custody on Thursday for being in contempt of court after she refused to issue same-sex licenses in her county.

Trump argued on Friday that the clerk has several options for satisfying secular critics while still honoring her personal faith.

“I’m a believer in both sides of the issue,” the New York business mogul said.

“The simple answer is to let her clerks do it,” Trump added. “She can take a pass and let someone else in her office do it.”

Reports emerged on Thursday that five clerks in Davis’s office have said that they will issue same-sex marriage licenses in her stead. A sixth clerk — reportedly Davis’s son — has expressed reluctance with that option.

Davis’s decision is a rejection of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges last June. The landmark 5-4 decision recognizes same-sex marriage nationwide.

Davis has repeatedly argued that issuing same-sex marriage licenses violates her Christian beliefs.

The standoff is quickly dividing the GOP’s crowded 2016 presidential field into camps supporting her civil disobedience and those arguing it is inappropriate given federal law.