The White House said Newt Gingrich’s proposal to deport all adherents of Shariah law in the U.S. is “un-American,” and was delivered at the worst possible time.

“It sounds like he might want to consult his copy of the pocket Constitution,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Friday. “Our nation was founded on the principle that this is a country where people could choose to worship as they please — without harassment from the government, and that is a principle that is enshrined in our Constitution and it is one that the president believes is worth protecting.