4:41
- ABC News
- Donald Trump
- January 15, 2018
Shifting narrative on Trump's's---hole' comment
Going from non-denials to denials.
4:41
In the first public, on-camera reaction from someone in the room, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said there is no question the president said these \"hate-filled things.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/dick-durbin-ap-thg-180115_16x11_384.jpg\")
\"To no surprise, the president started tweeting this morning, denying that he used those words,” he said. “It is not true.\"
\"When I mentioned that fact to him, he said, ‘Haitians, do we need more Haitians?’ Then he went on and started to describe the immigration from Africa that was being protected in this bipartisan measure. That's when he used these vile and vulgar comments, calling the nations they come from shitholes. The exact word used by the president. Not just once but repeatedly.\"
Two Republican senators who were also in the meeting, Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia, issued a joint statement saying they did not “recall” the president’s use of the derogatory word.
“In regards to Senator Durbin’s accusation, we do not recall the resident saying these comments specifically but what he did call out was the imbalance in our current immigration system, which does not protect American workers and our national interest,” the joint statement read.
Another Republican senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, weighed in but revealed little about what was or wasn’t said.
“Following comments by the president, I said my piece directly to him yesterday,” he said in a statement. “The president and all those attending the meeting know what I said and how I feel. I’ve always believed that America is an idea, not defined by its people but by its ideals.”
In addition to Cotton, who again denied the use of the word during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” another person who was in the room during the meeting came to Trump’s defense.
The newly appointed Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, said on “Fox News Sunday” she didn’t remember hearing the word used.
\"I don't recall him saying that exact phrase. I think he has been clear and I would certainly say undoubtedly the president will use, continue to use strong language when it comes to this issue. He feels very passionate about it,\" she said.
During an interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” Perdue doubled down on his earlier claims that he didn’t recall hearing the word used.
“I’m telling you he did not use that word, George,” Perdue told host George Stephanopoulos. “And I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation.”
Before a dinner with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the president denied making the “s---hole” remark.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/kevin-mccarthy-trump-gty-thg-180115_4x3t_384.jpg\")
“Did you see what various senators in the room said about my comments? They weren’t made,” Trump said.
Asked about those who accuse him of being a racist, Trump replied: “No, no, I’m not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you.”
While attending an event in Chicago to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Durbin dismissed questions that have been raised by some who said that Trump didn't say \"s---hole\" but actually said \"s---house\" instead.
\"I don’t know that changing the word from “hole” to “house” changes the impact which this has. This speaks to America and its view toward immigration and his message to the world,\" Durbin said. \"I don’t believe the majority of America agrees with the president, whichever word was used.\"
Durbin said \"I stick with my original interpretation. I am stunned that this is their defense\" of suggesting that it was a slightly different word used.
In an interview with the Charleston Post & Courier, Sen. Lindsey Graham said his memory \"hasn't evolved\" since Thursday's controversial Oval Office meeting.
He told fellow South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott last week that media accounts of Trump's remarks were \"basically accurate.\"
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Ali Rogin contributed to this report.
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