Democrats said Friday they will attempt to censure President Trump next week for disparaging comments he reportedly made about developing countries in a closed-door meeting on immigration.
Rep. Cedric Richmond, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said they’ll pursue the censure just after lawmakers return from the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
“We were deeply disturbed and offended by President Trump’s remarks regarding Haiti and African countries,” the two Democrats said in a joint statement, saying they’ll ask GOP leaders to put the resolution on the floor.
They continued: “The President’s bigoted fearmongering is not acceptable and his remarks completely warrant total condemnation and censure from Congress. American immigration policy cannot and should not be guided in any way, shape or form by racism.”
Mr. Trump reportedly referred to developing nations such as El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti as “sh—hole countries” after he was presented with a plan to create a new amnesty for hundreds of thousands of would-be illegal immigrants from those nations.
The president denied using that term, though he acknowledged using harsh language. Sen. Dick Durbin, one of the lawmakers who presented the new plan to Mr. Trump, said the reports of Mr. Trump’s language were accurate.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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