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Donald Trump’s comments on illegal immigrants divide 2016 GOP hopefuls
Ted Cruz salutes mogul while Jeb Bush, Rick Perry look to create distance
The Washington Times
Valerie Richardson
7/5/2015
Excerpt:
Several Republicans moved to distance themselves from billionaire Donald Trump’s comments on illegal immigrants fueling crime even as Mr. Trump doubled down, citing last week’s San Francisco shooting to bolster his case.
At an Independence Day parade in Merrimack, New Hampshire, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Mr. Trump “doesn’t represent the Republican Party or its values.”
“He thinks that every Mexican crossing the border is a rapist? I mean, so he’s doing this to inflame and to incite and to draw attention, which seems to be his organizing principle of his campaign,” Mr. Bush told reporters.
The reaction to Mr. Trump’s remarks was fodder for the Sunday talk shows, during which Republican lawmakers were repeatedly asked by journalists to disavow the comments or stand by them. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said, “I will stand up and say those [comments] were offensive, which they were.”
“The fact is, I’ve said very clearly that Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party,” Mr. Perry said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“I was offended by his remarks. Hispanics in America and Hispanics in Texas from the Alamo to Afghanistan have been extraordinary citizens of our country and our state, they have served nobly, and to paint with that broad a brush as Donald Trump did — he’s going to have to defend those remarks,” Mr. Perry said.
In interviews and posts on Twitter, however, Mr. Trump defended the comments from his June 16 announcement for the Republican presidential nomination, when he said illegal immigrants from Mexico are “bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime.”
He added, “They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.”
He cited the shooting death of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, who was walking along San Francisco’s Pier 14 with her father Wednesday. Arrested in connection with the shooting was Francisco Sanchez, 45, who had been deported five times and was released in March by San Francisco officials, consistent with the city’s “sanctuary policy” despite the federal government’s request to detain him.
“As seen with the tragic and unnecessary death of Kathryn Steinle this past week in San Francisco at the hands of an illegal immigrant who was previously deported five times, our unsecured border is a national security threat,” Mr. Trump said in a statement to Breitbart News.
Not all Republicans were critical of Mr. Trump. Deliberately avoiding the Trump pile-on was Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who said he refused to participate in “Republican-on-Republican violence” and that liberal journalists were trying to make a talking point and to stifle discussion of immigration.
“I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration,” Mr. Cruz said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“The Washington cartel doesn’t want to address that. The Washington cartel doesn’t believe we need to secure the borders. The Washington cartel supports amnesty, and I think amnesty’s wrong. And I salute Donald Trump for focusing on it,” Mr. Cruz said.
He said Mr. Trump “has a colorful way of speaking. It’s not the way I speak. But I’m not going to engage in the media’s game of throwing rocks and attacking other Republicans.”
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View the complete article, including photo, at:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...grants-divide/
Ted Cruz salutes mogul while Jeb Bush, Rick Perry look to create distance
The Washington Times
Valerie Richardson
7/5/2015
Excerpt:
Several Republicans moved to distance themselves from billionaire Donald Trump’s comments on illegal immigrants fueling crime even as Mr. Trump doubled down, citing last week’s San Francisco shooting to bolster his case.
At an Independence Day parade in Merrimack, New Hampshire, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Mr. Trump “doesn’t represent the Republican Party or its values.”
“He thinks that every Mexican crossing the border is a rapist? I mean, so he’s doing this to inflame and to incite and to draw attention, which seems to be his organizing principle of his campaign,” Mr. Bush told reporters.
The reaction to Mr. Trump’s remarks was fodder for the Sunday talk shows, during which Republican lawmakers were repeatedly asked by journalists to disavow the comments or stand by them. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said, “I will stand up and say those [comments] were offensive, which they were.”
“The fact is, I’ve said very clearly that Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party,” Mr. Perry said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“I was offended by his remarks. Hispanics in America and Hispanics in Texas from the Alamo to Afghanistan have been extraordinary citizens of our country and our state, they have served nobly, and to paint with that broad a brush as Donald Trump did — he’s going to have to defend those remarks,” Mr. Perry said.
In interviews and posts on Twitter, however, Mr. Trump defended the comments from his June 16 announcement for the Republican presidential nomination, when he said illegal immigrants from Mexico are “bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime.”
He added, “They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.”
He cited the shooting death of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, who was walking along San Francisco’s Pier 14 with her father Wednesday. Arrested in connection with the shooting was Francisco Sanchez, 45, who had been deported five times and was released in March by San Francisco officials, consistent with the city’s “sanctuary policy” despite the federal government’s request to detain him.
“As seen with the tragic and unnecessary death of Kathryn Steinle this past week in San Francisco at the hands of an illegal immigrant who was previously deported five times, our unsecured border is a national security threat,” Mr. Trump said in a statement to Breitbart News.
Not all Republicans were critical of Mr. Trump. Deliberately avoiding the Trump pile-on was Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who said he refused to participate in “Republican-on-Republican violence” and that liberal journalists were trying to make a talking point and to stifle discussion of immigration.
“I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration,” Mr. Cruz said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“The Washington cartel doesn’t want to address that. The Washington cartel doesn’t believe we need to secure the borders. The Washington cartel supports amnesty, and I think amnesty’s wrong. And I salute Donald Trump for focusing on it,” Mr. Cruz said.
He said Mr. Trump “has a colorful way of speaking. It’s not the way I speak. But I’m not going to engage in the media’s game of throwing rocks and attacking other Republicans.”
...................................
View the complete article, including photo, at:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...grants-divide/
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