{"id":666234,"date":"2019-07-28T15:13:18","date_gmt":"2019-07-28T15:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"
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Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi has accused US President Donald Trump of \u201cracist attacks\u201d in his tweets about an African-American lawmaker.<\/p>\n

Mr Trump attacked Democratic Rep Elijah Cummings and his Maryland district on Twitter.<\/p"},"modified":"2019-07-28T15:13:18","modified_gmt":"2019-07-28T15:13:18","slug":"trumps-rat-infested-attack-on-lawmaker-was-racist-says-pelosi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/07\/28\/trumps-rat-infested-attack-on-lawmaker-was-racist-says-pelosi\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s \u2018rat-infested\u2019 attack on lawmaker was racist, says Pelosi"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi has accused US President Donald Trump of \u201cracist attacks\u201d in his tweets about an African-American lawmaker.<\/p>\n

Mr Trump attacked Democratic Rep Elijah Cummings and his Maryland district on Twitter.<\/p>\n

The president described Mr Cummings\u2019 majority-black district in Baltimore as a \u201crodent-infested mess\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Cummings was a \u201cbully\u201d, Mr Trump wrote, for criticising the treatment of migrants at the US-Mexico border.<\/p>\n

As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Mr Cummings has instigated a series of investigations into the Trump administration\u2019s policies, including its handling of migrants at detention centres.<\/p>\n

Ms Pelosi led Democratic legislators in defending Mr Cummings and condemning Trump\u2019s tweets.<\/p>\n

The tweets, Ms Pelosi wrote, were \u201cracist attacks\u201d on Mr Cummings, whose district\u2019s population is more than 50% black according to US census data.<\/p>\n

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.@RepCummings<\/a> is a champion in the Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague. We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership. #ElijahCummingsIsAPatriot<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/2LG8AuQrHh<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 27, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

President Trump\u2019s remarks come just weeks after he was criticised for another tweet telling \u201c\u2018progressive\u2019 Democrat congresswomen\u201d to \u201cgo back\u201d to the \u201ccrime infested\u201d places they came from.<\/p>\n

The message was aimed at four lawmakers of colour \u2013 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar \u2013 all of whom are US citizens.<\/p>\n

What sparked Mr Trump\u2019s latest tweets?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week, Mr Cummings lashed out at acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan and conditions at migrant detention centres at a congressional hearing.<\/p>\n

In a heated exchange with Mr McAleenan, Mr Cummings demanded \u201cimprovement\u201d at border facilities.<\/p>\n

Mr Cummings, who represents Maryland\u2019s 7th congressional district, suggested the Trump administration had \u201can empathy deficit\u201d in its handling of migrants.<\/p>\n

Posting to Twitter on Saturday, Mr Trump appeared outraged at Mr Cumming\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n

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Rep, Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The tweets also come days after a Democratic-led congressional committee voted to subpoena the private communications of senior White House officials.<\/p>\n

Mr Cummings accused the Trump administration of not keeping communications records in compliance with federal law.<\/p>\n

The committee\u2019s investigation is one of several being pursued by House Democrats into the president and his administration.<\/p>\n

What further reaction has there been to Mr Trump\u2019s tweets?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A prolific critic of Mr Trump, Mr Cummings has responded in kind, tweeting: \u201cIt is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another tweet, Baltimore\u2019s mayor, Bernard \u201cJack\u201d Young, called Mr Trump \u201ca disappointment to the people\u201d of his city, and to \u201cour country, and to the world\u201d.
The response from Republican Party representatives has been muted so far.<\/p>\n

But many other Democrats have derided Mr Trump\u2019s latest remarks.<\/p>\n

Joe Biden, the frontrunner to challenge Trump in 2020\u2019s presidential election, scorned the president\u2019s tweets as an example of why he is \u201cunfit to hold the office\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a video shared by The Hill, Elizabeth Warren \u2013 another presidential candidate \u2013 added that President Trump\u2019s \u201cracist\u201d remarks were \u201cinsulting both to the congressman and to the people he represents\u201d.<\/p>\n

The hashtag #WeAreBaltimore has also been trending on Twitter, with thousands of social media users expressing their solidarity with the city.<\/p>\n

Among them was David Simon, a journalist and writer of The Wire, a critically-acclaimed American crime drama series set in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

Since his initial comments, Mr Trump has attacked Mr Cummings in several other tweets.<\/p>\n

\u201cCummings has done nothing but milk Baltimore dry, but the public is getting wise to the bad job that he is doing!,\u201d read one.<\/p>\n

The president has also retweeted a video shared by actor Terrence Williams which allegedly shows a large mound of rubbish dumped outside a house in West Baltimore.<\/p>\n

Mr Trump urged his followers to \u201ctake a look\u201d at the \u201cbadly run district\u201d, signing off the tweet with the hashtag #BlacksForTrump2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n