A White House spokesman refused to directly comment on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump’s controversial remarks about a federal judge of Mexican descent, but suggested it was “egregious.”
“As you’ve heard us say before, we’re not going to comment on every comment that’s thrown out there on the campaign trail — both the positive ones and the more egregious ones,” Jennifer Friedman, a deputy press secretary, told reporters traveling Friday with President Obama.
“But one thing that the president has been clear about in general is his strong belief in both an independent judiciary and the rule of law,” she continued as Air Force One carried Obama to Miami for Democratic Party fundraisers. “And both of those things are central to our democracy. And that’s true in all circumstances. And that should also be something that transcends politics.”
Trump said that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel should recuse himself from overseeing the fraud lawsuit against the real estate tycoon because he’s “Mexican.” On Friday, Trump went further, saying: “We’re building a wall. He’s a Mexican. The answer is he’s giving us unfair rulings. This judge is giving us unfair rulings.”
