4 House Republicans Bucked Party on Trump Tweets

'We must speak out against inflammatory rhetoric from anyone in any party'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 17, 2019 12:07 AM CDT
Updated Jul 17, 2019 1:33 AM CDT
4 Republicans Voted to Condemn Trump Tweets
In this May 3, 2017 photo, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., left, speaks to reporters outside the White House.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

It was "great to see how unified the Republican Party was," President Trump tweeted after Tuesday's vote to denounce his inflammatory tweets—but while 187 House Republicans voted against the measure, there were four that voted to condemn his "racist comments that have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color." They were Reps. Susan Brooks, Will Hurd, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Fred Upton. Brooks is planning to retire at the end of her term, while the other three are moderates who face tough re-election battles, reports the Hill. Upton said the words Trump used about minority Democratic lawmakers "frankly are not acceptable from a leader in any workplace large or small." He added: "If we’re going to bring civility back to the center of our politics, we must speak out against inflammatory rhetoric from anyone in any party anytime it happens."

Brook said she also hopes to bring civility back to politics—and she would like Democrats to address remarks made by members of their own caucus. "Today, I voted to condemn the racially offensive remarks the leader of our country made," the Indianan said in a statement. "However, I remain disappointed that the Democrats refuse to hold their own members accountable for their targeted, anti-Semitic, and hateful speech." The measure to condemn Trump's remarks is unlikely to be taken up in the Senate, though Republican senators including Sens. Mitt Romney and Susan Collins have spoken out against them. Sources tell Politico that the president feels other members of Congress haven't defended his remarks strongly enough and he has spoken to at least two of them to express his dissatisfaction. (More House Republicans stories.)

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