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RNC releases video featuring African Americans

by TheHill.com - 02/29/16 5:15 PM ET

The Republican National Committee on Monday released a video featuring African Americans amid furor over GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump and the Ku Klux Klan.

“Empowering people is the greatest gift we can give them,” a black woman says in the opening moments of the 60-second video titled “We Are The GOP” and tweeted by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

{mosads}”We are part of a large world, a large community,” another African-American Republican says in the video, as others speak of empowerment and getting involved in the party.

The video comes a day after Trump sparked a firestorm of condemnation from his Republican rivals and key party figures, including Mitt Romney, for swatting away questions about the KKK.

Pressed repeatedly in a CNN interview about the backing of former KKK grand wizard David Duke, Trump said, “I know nothing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists.”

On Monday, Trump blamed a “lousy earpiece” amid the uproar, claiming he couldn’t hear what CNN anchor Jake Tapper was saying during the interview when asking about disavowing certain groups.

“I disavow, OK?” Trump told a reporter during a press conference on Friday before quickly moving on to another topic after being asked about Duke, who urged his radio followers to vote for Trump.

Later that night, Trump stared down a protester at one of his rallies in Oklahoma who wore a white T-shirt with dark letters stating, “KKK endorses Trump.”

Republicans have sought to make inroads with black voters and other minority communities following their second loss to Barack Obama in 2012, but have had to grapple with remarks from Trump in recent months regarding several minority groups.

Tags 2016 GOP primary Barack Obama Black voters Donald Trump