GOP won’t fully rebuke Trump attacks on women of color in Congress

WASHINGTON — Republicans found themselves unwilling Monday to swiftly and unequivocally rebuke President Donald Trump’s attack on progressive women of color in Congress, almost ensuring no real fallout from his party in Congress.

Some Republicans spoke up against Trump’s suggestion that the women should “go back” to the countries they came from. But others leveled their criticism of Trump in careful comments that also criticized the women.

Most notably, the GOP leadership in Congress said more than most by staying silent or defending the president’s incendiary remarks.

The result is that once again Republicans in Congress are allowing Trump to break the norms of civic behavior — as when he equivocated over the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville and used a vulgarity to describe immigrants from Africa and other countries — with a muffled response that does little to change outcomes.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declined to discuss the situation after he opened the chamber Monday, telling reporters he’d “address whatever questions you have” at his regularly scheduled news conference Tuesday.

Asked if Trump’s comments were racist, the top Republican in the House, Kevin McCarthy of California, said: “This is about ideology. And the ideology of the Democratic Party is socialist. This debate is going to go on for a long time.”

Part of the problem for Republicans is a strategic one — they, too have piled on the freshmen lawmakers, using their liberal views to scare off voters.

Hardly a day goes by without Republicans raising warnings against the “squad” of newcomers: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.