DREAMERS/GOP/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two Republican senators called into question whether President Donald Trump used the term ‘shithole countries’ in a meeting with lawmakers on immigration last week, as critics of the president didn’t back down and continued to suggest his words were racist…
The comments showed no signs of quelling a political storm over Mr. Trump’s words at an Oval Office meeting last Thursday on the future of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which Mr. Trump has said he is ending. The reported vulgarity prompted condemnation world-wide, including at the United Nations and among countries that have long been U.S. allies.
While others at the meeting cited Mr. Trump saying ‘shithole countries,’ Mr. Perdue’s statement was the first outright denial that Mr. Trump referred to some countries in the vulgar fashion at the meeting.
Senator Tom Cotton, (R., Ark.), who also attended the session, said on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ that ‘I did not hear that word either,’ but that ‘the president did react with pretty tough language’ to show his displeasure at a suggested compromise on immigration. Mr. Trump, in Florida, seized on the comments. ‘Did you see what various senators in the room said about my comments? They were not made,’ he told reporters.
Democrats and some Republicans have called for an apology from Mr. Trump for the reported remarks, which have sharpened the debate over the future of DACA. Some lawmakers fear of a government shutdown as some Democrats say DACA should be reauthorized as part of any long-term government funding bill.”
-Alan Cullison, “GOP Senator Says Trump Didn’t Use Crude Term to Describe African Nations,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 14, 2018 09:17pm