White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused to answer criticism of President Trump’s ‘treasonous’ dig at the hands of one of his top Republican rivals.
Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, responded to Trump’s characterization of the Democrats uttered at a speech in Ohio yesterday by saying on the Senate floor that, ‘treason is not a punch line.’
‘Look, honestly I’m not going to respond directly to Sen. Flake’s comments,’ Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday. ‘I don’t really care what Sen. Flake has to say, I don’t think his constituents do either and I think that’s why his numbers are in the tank.’
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn’t respond to Sen. Jeff Flake’s criticism directly, instead suggesting that he was suffering from low poll numbers
Huckabee Sanders was approached about Flake’s comments by CBS’ Major Garrett, who read the Arizona senator’s quote aloud.
‘I have seen the president’s most ardent defenders use the now weary argument that the president’s comments were meant as a joke, just sarcasm, only tongue-in-cheek, but treason is not a punchline,’ Flake had said.
Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said earlier Tuesday that Trump’s quip was ‘obviously a joke.’
Flake also warned in his speech – which struck a similar tone to the one he delivered in October, announcing that he would retire to be a thorn in the side to Trump – ‘that this conduct in an American president is simply not normal.’
Flake’s comments practically cued an eyeroll from the press secretary who uttered, ‘I’m sure this will be eventful,’ when the senator’s name was brought up by Garrett.
When the reporter asked, ‘Can you say for the sake of the future that you agree with that, that treason is not a punchline,’ Huckabee Sanders wouldn’t.
The comment began as something Trump was egged on to say.
During his stop in Ohio yesterday, President Trump started criticizing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, broadening the complaint to the wider Democratic party who didn’t stand for him throughout much of the State of the Union.
‘You had half the room going totally crazy wild. They loved everything. They want to do something great for our country,’ the president said of his fellow Republicans.
‘And you have the other side, even on positive news, really positive news like that, they were like death, and unAmerican. UnAmerican,’ the president said.
At that point the president looked out into the crowd and repeated a term a supporter seemingly shouted.
‘Somebody said treasonous. I mean, yeah, I guess, why not?’ Trump replied. ‘Can we call that treason? Why not. I mean, they certainly didn’t seem to love our country very much.’
‘But you look at that and it’s really very, very sad,’ Trump added.