Obama Civil Rights Head: Trump Comments ‘Racist, Repugnant, and Reprehensible’

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 21: Attorney Vanita Gupta serves as a panelist at the National Town Hall at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on September 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/WireImage)

A chorus of top civil rights leaders condemned President Donald Trump for his comments about “shithole countries” Friday, and called on Congress to use Trump’s outburst to pass a clean Dream Act “now.”

“I am condemning in the strongest terms the President’s outburst,” Vanita Gupta, who served as the Obama Justice Department’s top civil rights official and now heads the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, told reporters during a press call Friday. “His words were racist, repugnant and reprehensible and they have no place in our political discourse.”

Gupta was joined by a slew of civil and immigrant rights leaders, who called on Congress to pass a fix for DACA and TPF recipients by the Jan. 19 deadline.

Trump reportedly made the vulgar comments during a bipartisan discussion on immigration reform at the White House Thursday. He has denied making the comments, but Sen. Dick Durbin confirmed that he did.

Jonathan Jayes-Green, the co-founder and director, Undocublack Network said Trump’s comments “reflect a deeply rotten and racist soul.”

Judith Browne Dianis of the Advancement Project called Trump’s policy priorities, as well as his remarks, demonstrative of “a racial purge that this president is calling for.”

The outcry from national civil rights organizations follows a short chorus of condemnations from Republicans and widespread fury from Democrats in Congress who have called Trump’s remarks “vile” and “divisive.”

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  1. And coming from anyone in the GOP, reliably repeatedly repetitively redundant…

  2. So are Steve King’s, as well as most of the “thinking” in the GOP and their base.

    What do they think animated birthers and tea partiers?

    It was and remains white “greivence” over losing a privileged status in society and fear of being outnumbered by “diversity”.

  3. NoT racisT. JuSt a coinciDence ThE blACks liVe in ShiThoLe countries. STop beiNg aLL divisive wHile TrumP trieS to repair OhBUmmer daMage bY bringing uS together.

  4. “His words were racist, repugnant and reprehensible and they have no place in our political discourse.”

    Why stop there? They’re bad for national security and they’re going to push whole continents closer to China.

  5. The GOP will remain a silent enabler. They care nothing for ANYTHING except money and power. Legislating, working for constituents? Ha.

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