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The House of Representatives voted tonight to condemn President Trump’s racist comments targeting four Democratic congresswomen of color.
The vote came after a tumultuous couple of hours on Capitol Hill including a brief time in which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was barred from speaking in the chamber.
Here’s how the vote went down:
Rep. Ilhan Omar — one of the four Democratic congresswomen at the center of President Trump’s racist tweets —said tonight’s vote sends a message to President Trump and kids who are “wrestling with the weight” of his words.
“This is important because we are going to be able to send a clear message,” the Minnesota lawmaker said. “Not only to this President that his behavior and his words are not acceptable.”
She continued:
The House of Representatives passed a resolution denouncing President Trump’s racist comments targeting four progressive Democratic congresswomen of color.
The vote was 240 to 187.
Four Republicans — Will Hurd, Brian Fitzpatrick, Fred Upton and Susan Brooks — and independent Justin Amash joined Democrats in voting for the resolution.
Some background: On Sunday, Trump suggested in a series of tweets over the weekend that the congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
The President’s tweets did not explicitly mention the lawmakers by name, but it was clear who Trump was referring to. His comments came on the heels of a public clash between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the four lawmakers, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
The President has continued to defend his remarks amid backlash on Capitol Hill.
While a significant number of congressional Republicans have rebuked the President over his comments, House GOP leadership has come to Trump’s defense.
The vote is still open, but so far, four Republicans are currently siding with Democrats on condemnation resolution for President Trump’s racist tweets.
They are…
Note, Rep. Justin Amash, an independent, has also voted for the resolution.
The House of Representatives is voting right now on a resolution to denounce President Trump for “racist comments” targeting four Democratic congresswomen of color.
What’s in the resolution: The resolution states that “President Donald Trump’s racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color” and “strongly condemns” the President’s remarks, including “that our fellow Americans who are immigrants, and those who may look to the President like immigrants, should ‘go back’ to other countries.”
The Democratic-controlled House voted not to strike House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments on President Trump’s remarks from the record.
The vote was 232 to 190.
All the no votes were from Democrats, including one independent — Michigan Rep. Justin Amash. All the yes votes were from Republicans.
One thing to note: Pelosi was ruled to be in breach of House decorum in describing a resolution to condemn President Trump’s racist attacks on four congresswomen.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made the announcement that the House parliamentarian had ruled Pelosi’s comments were not in order and should not be used in debate. The breach of decorum led to a vote on whether to strike her words from the record and a separate vote as to whether the speaker should have her speaking privileges for the day reinstated, privileges that are removed if a lawmaker is found not to be in order. (The House voted to allow Pelosi to speak on the floor of the House again.)
What Pelosi said: Speaking on the House floor, Pelosi called the President’s remarks “not only divisive but dangerous.”
Pelosi said earlier that she cleared her remarks ahead of time with the parliamentarian.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will not take back her remarks describing President Trump’s comments as racist earlier today on the House floor.
She went on to say she doesn’t think any of the words the President said would have stood up on the floor.
“So I’m proud of my remarks and I’m glad they’re getting the attention they’re getting,” she added.
What happened earlier today: While addressing the House of Representatives during the debate over a resolution calling for members to condemn Trump’s racist comments, Pelosi called the President’s continued defense of his remarks “shameful.”
Deliberations over whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s words should be taken down are still ongoing, more than an hour and 15 minutes since they started.
Pelosi described President Trump’s comments as racist in her floor speech today. She also said the “comments from the White House” are “disgraceful” and “disgusting” and that “these comments are racist.”
Pelosi left for a religious freedom event off campus, but her staff has been on the floor near the dais in a tense huddle with parliamentarian staff and other staff for most of the time.
The top three Republican leaders — Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney — also came to the floor as they awaited the decision, talking with each other as well as with other GOP members who were on the floor during the deliberations.
And Democratic leaders like House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler were also on hand. Nadler stood by the dais huddling with others, including at one point Eric Swalwell, while Hoyer stayed seated for much of the time on the floor.
One thing to note: If it’s ruled that Pelosi’s words are taken down because they violate the decorum of the House, it would mean that she’s not allowed to speak again on the floor today without the House’s permission. She could still vote, though.
It’s fair to say it’s a highly unusual thing for a speaker’s words to be taken down — if that happens.
For three days in a row, President Trump has tweeted racist attacks on a group of four progressive congresswomen — and they have jabbed back.
The tensions have spread across Washington, with GOP leadership defending the President, while Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced a resolution to condemn Trump’s comments.
Here’s a timeline of how we got here:
Republicans called out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moments ago when she specifically described President Trump’s comments as racist in her floor speech.
She also said the “comments from the White House” are “disgraceful” and “disgusting” and that “these comments are racist.”
After Republican Rep. Doug Collins interjected and gave Pelosi a chance to withdraw her remarks from the record, Pelosi said she had cleared her remarks with the parliamentarian. Collins asked for her words to be taken down anyway, and now House officials are discussing what to do.
Why this matters: Congressional members have to be careful with how they debate a condemnation resolution because they’re not allowed to attack the personalities or character of members, senators, or the President on the House floor.
That’s problematic when they’re debating a resolution that characterizes something the President said as racist.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking from the House floor today, called President Trump’s continued defense of his remarks “shameful” and added that the “comments are racist.”
While addressing the House of Representatives during the debate over a resolution calling for members to condemn Trump’s racist tweets, she quoted former President Ronald Reagan: “If we ever close the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”
She added that the Democratic House caucus “will continue to respond to the attacks on our members which reflect a fundamental disrespect for the beautiful diversity of America.”
Pelosi went on to call the President’s remarks “not only divisive but dangerous” and said that his comments “have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.”
She said that to do “anything less” than condemn these remarks from Trump “would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office to protect the American people.”
“I urge a unanimous vote,” she said.
Asked if he would consider it a racist attack if someone told his wife Elaine Chao — who is the US Secretary of Transportation and an immigrant and naturalized US citizen — to go back to her own country, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sidestepped the question and talked about his support for legal immigration.
“The Secretary of Transportation came here at the age of 8 not speaking a word of English, and has recognized the American dream. This is a process of renewal that’s gone on in this country for a very long time, and it’s good for America. We ought to continue it,” he told reporters.
McConnell continued: “As I said, the legal immigration has been a fulfilling of the American dream. The new people who come here have a lot of ambition, a lot of energy, tend to do very well and invigorate our country. My wife is a good example of that.”
He went on to say President Trump is “not a racist.”
“I think the tone of all of this is not good for the country,” the Kentucky senator said.
The House of Representatives has begun debating a resolution condemning President Trump’s racist tweets and remarks ahead of the vote tonight.
What the resolution would do: It would denounce the President for “racist comments.” The resolution states that “President Donald Trump’s racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color” and “strongly condemns” the President’s remarks, including “that our fellow Americans who are immigrants, and those who may look to the President like immigrants, should ‘go back’ to other countries.”
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said he’ll be voting against the Democratic-backed resolution and suggested he was encouraging other members to vote against it as well.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, spoke Tuesday afternoon about the feud between President Trump and the Democrats, saying that he believes “political rhetoric has really gotten way, way over heated all across the political spectrum.”
“We’ve heard facilities on the US Border called concentration camps. We’ve seen the far left throw accusations of racism at everyone. Anyone who disagrees with them on anything, including the Speaker of the House,” McConnell said.
He added that over the past few days “the most vile accusations and insults against our nation have become incredibly routine.”
In his remarks, McConnell referenced a saying that he attributed to former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who he called “my all-time favorite.”
Asked today about the four progressive Democratic congresswomen at the center of his racist tweets, President Trump continued his attacks, saying, “They can do what they want. They can leave.”
A reporter asked the President during a Cabinet meeting where the four congresswomen should go.
Here’s how Trump responded:
Some background: The controversy erupted when Trump tweeted that the women, all of whom are US citizens, should “go back” to where they came from.
Later in the Cabinet meeting, Trump said the congresswomen “hate our country.”
“What they did and the way they’re treating Israel is a disgrace. But not only Israel, it’s what they say about our country,” Trump said. “It’s my opinion they hate our country. And that’s not good. It’s not acceptable.”
As President Trump continues to double down on his attacks on progressive House members, the White House held a call with surrogates about ways to do messaging around the racist tweets, two sources familiar told CNN.
Allies of the White House have been armed with talking points to help defend the President against criticism of his comments.
Talking points Trump brought to the South Lawn yesterday, but did not fully use, included pointing out that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s ascension to Congress is an “only in America” story and arguing that members of the so-called “Squad” have advocated for socialism.
Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill are reacting to President Trump’s tweets on Tuesday.
Some background: The President used racist language to attack four congresswomen this weekend, implying that they weren’t born in America and suggesting, “they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” Today, he has been defending the tweets saying they are not racist and if the congresswomen are not happy in the US, they could leave.
Here’s what lawmakers had to say:
Sen. Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the Senate HELP Committee and a retiring member, told CNN that when it comes to Trump’s tweets, they aren’t productive, but he won’t say they are racist.
Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, told CNN off camera that the President should be the “uniter in chief.”
“He thinks it’s good politics and it is a sad state of affairs that any President thinks it is good politics to divide the nation and use racist, bigoted remarks for political gain.”
Menendez said he is surprised that his Republican colleagues have not been more outspoken.
Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat who leads House Rules Committee, said: “I don’t care if you are a Democrat or Republican. If people utter racist remarks, they ought to be condemned.”
Speaking to members of Congress, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the four women President Trump tweeted racist attacks on “our sisters.”
Here’s how she put it, according to an aide in the room:
Pelosi went on to say the resolution to condemn Trump’s tweets is “based in who we are as a people, as well as a recognition of the unacceptability of what his goals were.”
“This is, I hope, one where we will get Republican support. If they can’t support condemning the words of the President, well that’s a message in and of itself,” she said.
George Conway, husband of top White House aide Kellyanne Conway, called President Trump “a racist president” after remarks the President made attacking progressive Democratic congresswomen of color.
In a Washington Post op-ed published Monday, George Conway wrote that Trump’s actions on Sunday “left no doubt” that “naivete, resentment and outright racism, roiled in a toxic mix, have given us a racist president.”
Some background: Trump used racist language this weekend to attack four Democratic congresswomen, implying that they weren’t born in America and suggesting, “they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
Conway in his op-ed denounced Trump’s comments against the four as “racist to the core.”
“It doesn’t matter what these representatives are for or against ? and there’s plenty to criticize them for ? it’s beyond the bounds of human decency,” George Conway wrote. “For anyone, not least a president.”
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Asked Tuesday what she thought of her husband’s op-ed, Kellyanne Conway told Fox News, “I totally disagree. I work with this President. I know him.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer was just asked to respond to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s defense of President Trump.
Earlier today, McCarthy said the dispute between President Trump and the Democratic congresswomen he’s tweeted racist attacks about is about ideology and socialism.
“That’s baloney,” Hoyer said forcefully while talking to reporters. “This has nothing to do with socialism.”
He argued the National Republican Congressional Committee and other Republican leaders are trying to sell the narrative that Democrats are socialists.
“That’s just baloney,” he added. “Just political rhetoric.”
House Democrats said they are staying focused on their policy agenda and will call out President Trump’s tactics to “deflect” and divide the country.
Rep. Katherine Clark said at a news conference Tuesday Democrats are going to continue to speak out against racist attacks.
She continued saying House Democrats want to ensure everyone has a place in the economy and will hold the administration accountable.
“Little Americans, your everyday working families, are on the losing end of these policies of this administration and the way he does that is by using hate, by using racism, by using bias to deflect and to divide,” she said. “He will continue to do this and what we’re doing as House Democrats is calling that out.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was just asked about President Trump’s racist tweets about four progressive Democratic congresswomen and those representatives’ response to the attacks.
McCarthy said the Democrats’ response has been politically charged.
He continued: “This is more from their bases about politics, and it’s unfortunate. We should get back to the business of America.”
Watch more:
Rep. Liz Cheney, the chair for the Republican Conference, said GOP opposition to Democratic ideas “absolutely nothing to do with race or gender or religion.”
Speaking at a news conference, Cheney said many Republicans oppose Democrats’ “socialist programs” because they create “massive new government dependencies.”
The comment came as some Republican lawmakers are speaking out against the President’s racist tweets about four Democratic congresswomen.
Here’s what Cheney said:
President Trump is continuing his attacks on the Democratic congresswomen for a third day, tweeting that they “hate our Country.”
The President also defended his previous tweets, saying they were “NOT Racist,” adding that he does not have “a Racist bone in my Body.”
Trump urged Republicans not to “show ‘weakness” as the Democratic-led House moves to vote on a resolution to condemn his racist tweets.
Finally, he cited poll numbers for some of the Democratic congresswomen, But note: It’s not clear which polls he’s referring to or if they meet CNN polling standards.
Four first-term, progressive Democratic congresswomen who have been at the center of racist tweets by President Trump have came to be known as “The Squad” on Capitol Hill.
Here’s who we are talking about when we use that phrase:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Rashida Tlaib
Ayanna Pressley
Ilhan Omar
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday defiantly responded to President Trump’s continued attacks on her and other minority Democratic congresswomen, calling him out for the various sexual assault allegations made against him and his boasts on the infamous 2005 “Access Hollywood” video.
Here’s her message:
A little context: More than a dozen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, ranging from sexual harassment and assault to lewd behavior, from before he was President. Trump has vehemently denied all of the allegations and has threatened to sue his accusers, though he has not done so.
In her tweet Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez was apparently referring to new rules unveiled by the Department of Education in November that narrowed the definition of sexual misconduct on college campuses.
The congresswoman followed up with this tweet, too:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Republican lawmakers “must join” Democrats in “condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets” and urged Democrats to support a resolution put forward by House Democratic lawmakers.
“The House cannot allow the President’s characterization of immigrants to our country to stand. Our Republican colleagues must join us in condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets,” Pelosi wrote in a Dear Colleague letter to House Democrats.
Trump started the day by taking to Twitter to repeat a message he directed Monday at four progressive Democratic congresswomen.
“If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!,” Trump’s tweet said.
The tweet mirrors remarks that Trump made at the White House on Monday when he defended a series of tweets directed at the four congresswomen, all women of color.
Here’s his latest tweet:
The Trump administration filed a regulation Monday that could dramatically limit the ability of Central American migrants to claim asylum if they enter the United States by land through Mexico, according to a document filed by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security in the Federal Register.
Here’s part of what the document says:
The rule would take effect immediately — but it is certain to face legal challenges.
What this means: The regulation would prohibit migrants who have resided in a third country from seeking asylum in the US. It would, therefore, bar migrants transiting through Mexico from being able to claim asylum and as a result, drastically limit who’s eligible for asylum. The regulation is an interim final rule, which allows the new restrictions to go into effect immediately.
It’s the latest attempt by the Trump administration to toughen the US asylum process and has the potential of affecting a large swath of migrants journeying to the US-Mexico border. CNN previously reported that President Donald Trump had been considering the regulation.
The ACLU has said that it will “sue swiftly” in federal court.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting
