White House Denies Trump Is Politicizing NYC Terror Attack Despite Tweets
- 7 years ago
The White House has denied that President Trump is trying to politicize the attack in New York City.
The White House has denied that President Trump is trying to politicize the attack in New York City, where Uzbek national Sayfullo Saipov plowed a pickup truck down a bike path on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring others.
During a briefing Wednesday, Fox News' John Roberts asked press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about Trump's tweets calling out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer "literally hours after this incident."
In one tweet, the president had said, "The terrorist came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based."
Responding to Roberts, Sanders stated, "...this wasn't about going the political route."
"The President has been talking about extreme vetting and the need for that for the purpose of protecting the citizens of this country since he was a candidate," Sanders added.
However, when she was pressed about the issue by NBC's Kristen Welker, Sanders commented, "I said it wasn't appropriate to politicize the conversation, which I don't believe we are. We're talking about protecting American lives, and there are things that this President has consistently and repeatedly talked about."
Amid the president's criticism, Schumer has fired back.
"President Trump, instead of politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy, should be focusing on the real solution — anti-terrorism funding — which he proposed cutting in his most recent budget," he said on Wednesday.
The White House has denied that President Trump is trying to politicize the attack in New York City, where Uzbek national Sayfullo Saipov plowed a pickup truck down a bike path on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring others.
During a briefing Wednesday, Fox News' John Roberts asked press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about Trump's tweets calling out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer "literally hours after this incident."
In one tweet, the president had said, "The terrorist came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based."
Responding to Roberts, Sanders stated, "...this wasn't about going the political route."
"The President has been talking about extreme vetting and the need for that for the purpose of protecting the citizens of this country since he was a candidate," Sanders added.
However, when she was pressed about the issue by NBC's Kristen Welker, Sanders commented, "I said it wasn't appropriate to politicize the conversation, which I don't believe we are. We're talking about protecting American lives, and there are things that this President has consistently and repeatedly talked about."
Amid the president's criticism, Schumer has fired back.
"President Trump, instead of politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy, should be focusing on the real solution — anti-terrorism funding — which he proposed cutting in his most recent budget," he said on Wednesday.