Vulnerable Republican: ‘I can’t defend what the president reportedly said’

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), a top Democratic target in next fall’s midterm elections, said Friday that she “can’t defend” President Trump’s reported comments calling Haiti, El Salvador and African nations “shithole countries.”

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“The United States is a nation of immigrants, and our families and forebears have come from all over the world. This diversity is our strength and uniquely American,” Comstock, who represents a district in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, said in a statement.

“What we need now is not division or discord, but finding a way we can come together and agree, as well as civilly disagree, as we tackle our diverse American challenges.”

Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Trump by 10 points in Comstock’s district in the 2016 race, making the incumbent one of the Democratic Party’s main targets in a midterm election where they hope to win back the House majority. A crowded Democratic field has already emerged to vie for Comstock’s seat.

Trump during a White House meeting Thursday with lawmakers from both parties questioned why the United States should accept refugees from “shithole countries,” The Washington Post reported.

Trump on Friday denied using the language, but Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who attended the meeting, said he had made the “hateful” remarks.