Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Monday that a resolution censoring President Trump
Donald John TrumpHouse Democrat slams Donald Trump Jr. for ‘serious case of amnesia’ after testimony Skier Lindsey Vonn: I don’t want to represent Trump at Olympics Poll: 4 in 10 Republicans think senior Trump advisers had improper dealings with Russia MORE for disparaging marks he reportedly made about Haiti and African countries is meant to put Congress on the record opposing racism.
“The goal is to put the Congress of the United States on record that we don’t approve of racism and that the president, when he makes these kinds of racist remarks, he’s not speaking for the people of the United States,” Nadler said on CNN’s “New Day."
Cedric Levon RichmondThe nearly 60 Dems who voted for impeachment House rejects Democrat's resolution to impeach Trump Black Dems see bias in response to sexual harassment cases MORE (D-La.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Friday that they would unveil the resolution to censor Trump over comments that he reportedly made disparaging individuals from Haiti and other African countries during a closed-door meeting with lawmakers. The Washington Post first reported on Thursday that Trump had described Haiti and other nations as “shithole” countries, expressing a preference for immigrants from Norway. Sen. Dick Durbin
Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinDemocrats turn on Al Franken Minnesota's largest newspaper calls on Franken to resign Democratic senator predicts Franken will resign Thursday MORE (D-Ill.) backed up the Post's account on Friday.
The reported remarks have prompted fierce criticism from Democrats and some Republicans. Some Republican senators have disputed the accounts of Trump’s comments at the immigration meeting, however, saying he did not use the vulgar term described.
The president on Sunday denied that he is a racist.
“I am not a racist,” he told reporters in Palm Beach, Fla.
Neither the White House nor Trump has denied the “shithole” comment specifically.
Nadler said Monday that he would “absolutely” call Trump a racist, describing the latest reports as consistent with the president’s past behavior when responding to the violent clashes between white nationalists and protesters in Charlottesville, Va., last August.
“What he was clearly saying was, we don’t want black or brown people, we want white people coming here. And that’s straight racism,” Nadler said of the “shithole” comments.