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Allies Condemned Donald Trump After Racist Comment Against Mexican Judge

By Val Powell
Published on: 02:15 PST, Jun 7, 2016

Donald Trump is in hot water once again after saying the judge overseeing a class-action lawsuit against Trump University is incapable of handling the case because of his Mexican background.

Donald Trump, who made the fight against illegal immigrants the cornerstone of his campaign, previously said he will build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico boundary and deport thousands of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

Due to his racially offensive remark, Donald Trump believes having a judge of Mexican heritage would be a conflict of interest.

Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel is currently handling a class-action lawsuit against Trump University, which closed in 2010. The Republican presumptive nominee accused the judge of being biased.

His remarks incited attacks from allies and rivals alike. Democrats are now criticizing the outspoken Republican nominee, insisting that Republicans either stand behind his racially insensitive comments or rebuke him. Democrats even went as far as suggesting that the GOP withdraw their endorsements of his candidacy.

On Monday, Donald Trump urged his allies to stick with him and defend his criticisms of Judge Curiel. However, other Republicans have expressed their disappointment over the billionaire businessman’s actions since this could affect the party in House, Senate, and Governor’s races.

Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee, has held meetings with Donald Trump about his comments on Curiel’s race, a Republican briefed on the discussion said. Priebus has had similar talks with the business mogul in the past, but it seems the party will have a hard time convincing him to tone down his behavior.

Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire has called Donald Trump to apologize for his “offensive and wrong” comments about Curiel. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a tough rival of the businessman, and Maine Senator Susan Collins have also condemned the business tycoon. However, none of them are going to pull out their support for his candidacy.

“I continue to hope that Mr. Trump will rethink his position and take back those words and show respect for the separation of powers doctrine that is enshrined in our Constitution,” Collins recently said in an interview. “I continue to believe in redemption.”

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who also ran for the Republican nomination, urged Republicans who have supported Donald Trump to withdraw their endorsements.

The former Apprentice host also expressed his uncertainty over whether a Muslim judge could make fair judgments in the lawsuit filed against his company since he also made racist remarks against Muslims in the past. He previously proposed to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and to shut down mosques should he win the presidential election.

“This is the most un-American thing from a politician since Joe McCarthy,” Graham said in an interview. “If anybody was looking for an off-ramp, this is probably it. There’ll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary.”

Defending Donald Trump’s comments, former attorney general Alberto Gonzales said Curiel is believed to be a member of La Raza Lawyers of San Diego. Meanwhile, the real estate mogul’s aides said the judge was a member of the National Council of La Raza, an organization that has condemned the GOP presidential nominee and his stance on immigration. However, Curiel has not been officially linked to NCLR.

This is not the first time Donald Trump disqualified a judge from handling his cases. In a case involving a Trump real estate in Manhattan, the businessman’s legal representatives accused Judge Richard B. Lowe III of being biased. They also challenged the judge’s “fitness to serve in a judicial capacity.”

Given the circumstances, Donald Trump claiming Judge Curiel is biased is nothing new — it just reflects how he treated other judges in the past.

[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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