Nikki Haley criticizes Trump after latest jab at U.S. representative
Former U.N. ambassador and S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley chided President Donald Trump on Twitter Friday after Trump tweeted about a crime committed against U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings.
Locked in a bitter back-and-forth with Cummings, Trump tweeted Friday morning that the Baltimore Democrat’s home had been broken into.
“Really bad news! The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed,” Trump tweeted. “Too bad!”
“This is so unnecessary,” Haley replied to Trump’s tweet, tacking on an eye-role emoji.
Haley’s response drew criticism from current Trump Administration official Kellyanne Conway.
“THIS is so unnecessary. Trump-PENCE2020,” Conway quote-tweeted Haley.
Cummings home was broken into Saturday, according to a statement the Congressman gave to the Baltimore Sun. The Democrat said he scared away the intruder by yelling at him.
The feud between Cummings and Trump began after the Democrat made comments about the poor conditions at immigrant detention centers on the southern border.
Saturday, Trump tweeted that Cummings’ Baltimore district was a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,’ adding that the city was a “dangerous & filthy place.”
Trump doubled down on his attacks — which were called out as being racist or as reinforcing stereotypes that predominantly minority communities disproportionately experience more crime — throughout the ensuing week. The president also asserted that Cummings was a racist.
Haley, a former Trump administration official, is not the only South Carolina Republican to sound off on the spat.
Sen. Tim Scott sounded off Monday evening on the president’s Twitter attacks.
“I think anytime you leave the impression, intended or not, that you’re targeting vulnerable people, I say, ‘God have mercy on the party,’” Scott said.
This story was originally published August 2, 2019 at 12:53 PM.
