Senate

Flake urges Republicans to condemn ‘vile and offensive’ Trump tweets

by Jordain Carney - 07/15/19 12:54 PM ET

Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is urging Republicans to condemn “vile and offensive” tweets from President Trump after the president told four Democratic congresswomen to “go back” to the countries they came from.

Flake didn’t directly mention Trump’s comments in his tweet, instead arguing on Monday that “this is one of those times” that Republicans have to respond to the president’s rhetoric.

“I’ve often said that Republican elected officials can’t be expected to respond to every comment by the President. But there are times when the President’s comments are so vile and offensive that it is incumbent on Republicans to respond and condemn. This is one of those times,” Flake tweeted.

I’ve often said that Republican elected officials can’t be expected to respond to every comment by the President. But there are times when the President’s comments are so vile and offensive that it is incumbent on Republicans to respond and condemn. This is one of those times.

— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) July 15, 2019

{mosads}Flake was one of Trump’s fiercest critics among Republican lawmakers before he retired at the end of the last Congress, clashing with the president on high-profile topics including immigration policy.

He tweeted separately on Sunday about Trump’s comments, saying “we’re all Americans, Mr. President.”

Trump sparked outrage on Sunday when he targeted a group of unidentified progressive congresswomen “who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe.”

In the tweets, which appeared to be directed at Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), the president suggested they “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

Trump doubled down on his statement late Sunday, saying it was “sad” to see Democrats sticking up for the four women, who he argued used “disgusting language” and said “many terrible things … about the United States [that] must not be allowed to go unchallenged.”

The remarks have sparked furious backlash from Democrats.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is urging her caucus to support a forthcoming resolution condemning Trump.

“The House cannot allow the President’s characterization of immigrants to our country to stand. Our Republican colleagues must join us in condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to the caucus.

But Republicans have largely remained silent about the president’s remarks, which took place over the weekend while lawmakers were back in their home states.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of Trump’s, urged him to avoid personal attacks.

Rep. Will Hurd (Texas) has gone farther than any other GOP lawmaker so far in describing the Trump tweet as “racist and xenophobic.”