Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois says he stands by ‘every word’ he said about President Trump’s explosive comments in the Oval Office – amid a new report of a dispute about whether some heard Trump say ‘s***house’ but not ‘s***hole.’
Durbin also took a shot at Sen. David Perdue, who issued a statement saying he could not recall Trump’s comment but then on Sunday denied it occured.
‘I stand by every word I said and I think my colleagues now have restored memory,’ the Illinois Democrat told the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘They were there. They heard the same words I did.’
A reporter for the Washington Post, which broke the story on the Oval Office meeting – which Trump says merely consisted ‘tough’ language – wrote Sunday evening that there was an ‘internal debate’ in the White House about whether Trump actually said ‘s***hole’ or ‘s****house.’
President Trump has denied the comment, and on Sunday told reporters he was the ‘least racist’ person they would ever interview
A White House official told the reporter GOP Sens. Perdue and Tom Cotton of Arkansas were using the discrepancy to deny Trump had referenced ‘s***hole countries,’ a comment that drew charges of racism that Trump disputed on Sunday.
‘I’m telling you he did not use that word, George, and I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation.’ Perdue told anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week. ‘How many times do you want me to say that?’
‘I’m saying that this is a gross misrepresentation, it’s not the first time Senator Durbin has done it, and it is not productive to solving the problem that we have at hand,’ Perdue said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Fox News Sunday: ‘I don’t recall him saying that exact phrase,’ only to get pressed by host Chris Wallace on how she could fail to recall something so explosive.
Lindsey Graham is the guest today, Monday, January 8, 2018 on ABC’s “The View.” Graham released a statement after the incident where he said ‘I said my piece’ to the president following his comments
In a twist, Nielsen must testify under oath before Senate Judiciary panel Tuesday for an oversight hearing.
On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that Trump had deemed Haiti, El Salvador and the whole of Africa ‘s***hole countries’ during a bipartisan meeting on with six senators.
Durbin said after the initial Post report. ‘In the course of his comments, [Trump] said things that were hate-filled, vile and racist,’ Durbin told reporters Friday. ‘I use those words advisedly. I understand how powerful they are. But I cannot believe in this history of the White House, in that Oval Office, any president has ever spoken the words that I personally heard our president speak yesterday,’ Durbin said.
‘You’ve seen the comments in the press,’ Durbin said. ‘I have not read one of them that’s inaccurate. To no surprise, the President started tweeting this morning, denying that he used those words. It is not true. He said these hate-filled things and he said them repeatedly.’
Sen. David Perdue (left) told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos (right) that President Trump ‘did not use that word.’ Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, backed up the Washington Post’s account of the meeting
Sen. Dick Durbin (pictured) said President Trump made the ‘s***hole countries’ comment
Trump denied he is a racist in response to controversy over his recent alleged remarks.
‘I’m not a racist. I’m the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you,’ he told reporters in Florida on Sunday, as he was on his way to dinner with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
It marks the president’s first direct response to accusations of racism that have dogged him since he allegedly asked ‘Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?’ in an Oval Office meeting about immigration on Thursday.
Trump has denied using that language, however a Democrat senator present at the meeting insists he did. A Republican senator present backed the president.
‘I’m not a racist. I’m the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you,’ Trump said Sunday on his way to dinner with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (left)
Trump addressed the media scrum at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, marking the first time he has responded to repeated questions over whether he is a ‘racist’
Trump was reportedly speaking about Haitians and citizens of various African nations, and asked why the US doesn’t welcome more immigrants from countries like Noway instead.
Trump on Sunday again denied making the statements attributed to him, but didn’t get into specifics about what he did or did not say.
‘Did you see what various senators in the room said about my comments?’ he asked. ‘They weren’t made.’
The alleged remarks brought down furious condemnation on Trump from Democrats and media talking heads.
Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, told CNN ‘s Erin Burnett on Friday, ‘We know he’s a racist, he’s demonstrated that… he’s a racist both in his actions and his words.’
Trump has denied using the specific term that brought him condemnation, but acknowledged using ‘tough’ language in the meeting about DACA
Trump shakes hands with attendees after signing a proclamation to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Friday. He has directly addressed a racism row for the first time
Johnson said that the language Trump reportedly used hearkens back to the ’50s and ’60s, it is the language of a Ross Barnett and a George Wallace.’
He added that the issue will help to motivate African-American voters in the 2018 mid-term elections.
Trump repeatedly told voters he is not a racist leading up to his 2016 election.
The president claimed in a tweet on Friday morning that the widely reported ‘sh**hole’ comments he is said to have made Thursday were not correct.
‘The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used.’
In the press scrum on Sunday, Trump added that he was ‘ready, willing and able’ to reach a deal to protect immigrants brought to the United States as children