FILE — Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert talks with media after taking a ride Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, in an F-35 cockpit demonstrator, at the University of Utah. He's suggesting candidates to replace him should speak up now about tax reform (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
Utah Governor Gary Herbert says both sides are to blame for the ugliness out of Washington, D.C., following President Donald Trump’s tweets about four progressive congresswomen.
He says rhetoric on both sides should be toned down a few notches and that we should respect other opinions on the matter. The governor tells the Deseret News on Wednesday that he believes there ought to be a call for civility since both sides are guilty, in part referencing a resolution passed in Congress back in March condemning what some felt were anti-Semitic remarks from one of the congresswomen Mr. Trump mentioned in that tweet, after Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota claimed America’s support for Israel is all about money. That resolution also condemned anti-Muslim bigotry.
Other Utah Republicans are responding as well, including U.S. House members Chris Stewart, Rob Bishop and John Curtis, all signing on to a joint statement following their votes against a resolution on Tuesday that condemned Trump’s tweets. That statement warned against continued inflammatory rhetoric from both Trump and House Democrats.
Representative Ben McAdams, Utah’s lone Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation, voted for that resolution condemning Trump’s statements. Senator Mitt Romney has publicly condemned the presidential tweets, calling them “destructive, demeaning and disunifying.” Senator Mike Lee has largely shied away from public comment on the matter.
In addition to Omar, the other congresswomen Trump has spoken about are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.