Mick Mulvaney, the president’s acting chief of staff, said Sunday the attacks on Rep. Elijah Cummings were launched after the Maryland Democrat misrepresented what’s happening on the border, defending President Trump’s tweets against Congressional Democrats and their districts.
The president set off a Twitter fight over the weekend when he attacked Mr. Cummings over the condition of his city, saying Baltimore was a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats defended their colleague, saying the president’s tweets about Baltimore and Mr. Cummings were racist.
Mr. Mulvaney, though, said it all started when Mr. Cummings, chairman of the House oversight committee, claimed children were sitting in their own feces on the border during a congressional hearing this past week examining the migrant crisis.
“It’s misleadingly wrong,” Mr. Mulvaney told CBS “Face the Nation”, adding Mr. Cummings’ rhetoric “breaks down civilized debate.”
Mr. Trump also attacked Ms. Pelosi after she fired back in Mr. Cummings’ defense, pointing to the conditions in San Francisco to call out the Speaker of the House.
“Speaking of failing badly, has anyone seen what is happening to Nancy Pelosi’s district in San Francisco. It is not even recognizeable lately. Something must be done before it is too late. The Dems should stop wasting time on the Witch Hunt Hoax and start focusing on our Country!” the president tweeted Sunday.
His acting chief of staff said Mr. Trump didn’t like what he saw at the hearing from Mr. Cummings, so he is pushing back by calling out the Maryland Democrat’s home district, arguing Baltimore is where the lawmaker’s focus should be.
Mr. Mulvaney said House Democrats should focus on immigration reform instead of impeachment investigations, saying they are engaging in “a complete lapse in responsibility.”
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.