Lindsey Graham unloads: 4 Dem lawmakers 'bunch of communists'

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. (video screenshot)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has introduced a House resolution calling President Trump's tweets over the weekend "racist" and "xenophobic," but Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday the focus of outrage should be the four "communist" congresswomen Trump was condemning.

"Well, we all know that [New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and this crowd are a bunch of communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own country," Graham said in an interview with "Fox and Friends."

"They're calling the guards along our border, the border patrol agents, 'concentration camp guards.' They accuse people who support Israel of doing it for the Benjamins. They're anti-Semitic. They're anti-America."

It's been assumed that Trump was referring to Democratic Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Ocasio-Cortez has described migrant detention centers as "concentration camps," and Omar was reprimanded by her party's leadership for a number of anti-Semitic remarks.

At the far-left Netroots Nation conference Saturday, Omar said Americans treat detained illegal aliens worse than dogs because they're racist, reported Ryan Saavedra via Twitter.

Omar said "we live in a society and govern in a body that might value the life of a dog more than they value the life of a child who might not look like theirs."

Trump wrote Sunday via Twitter "the Radical Left Congresswomen" should apologize to the nation and to Israel for the "terrible things they have said." Writing that they "originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe," he urged them to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

Co-host Steve Doocy asked Graham if Trump "went too far."

The South Carolina senator said the president should "aim higher" and focus on their policies.

"You don't need to -- they are American citizens. They won an election. Take on their policies," he said.

On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- who was called a racist last week by Ocasio-Cortez for trying to reign in the far-left congresswomen -- announced a House resolution condemning Trump's weekend tweets.

"The House cannot allow the President’s characterization of immigrants to our country to stand. Our Republican colleagues must join us in condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets," Pelosi wrote in a letter to House Democrats.

"This weekend, the President went beyond his own low standards using disgraceful language about Members of Congress," Pelosi said. "Rather than attack Members of Congress, he should work with us for humane immigration policy that reflects American values."

Trump, nevertheless, didn't back down Monday, calling on the four lawmakers to "apologize" and insisting his remarks were not racist.

"If someone doesn't like our country, if someone doesn't want to be in our country, they should leave," he told reporters outside the White House.

"These are people that hate our country. ... They hate it, I think, with a passion."

Omar: Trump 'stoking white nationalism'

Omar reacted Sunday to Trump's tweets.

"You are stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda," she wrote via Twitter.

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: "It's important to note that the President’s words yday, telling four American Congresswomen of color 'go back to your own country,' is hallmark language of white supremacists.

"Trump feels comfortable leading the GOP into outright racism, and that should concern all Americans," she wrote.

Last week, Ocasio-Cortez criticized Pelosis for her "explicit singling out of newly elected women of color."

But the House speaker defended the four in a tweet Sunday.

"When @realDonaldTrump tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to 'Make America Great Again' has always been about making America white again," she wrote. "Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power."

Most Republicans steered clear of the issue. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, issued a brief statement, FoxNews.com reported, saying the original Trump tweet should be removed.

"I disagree strongly with many of the views and comments of some of the far-left members of the House Democratic Caucus – especially when it comes to their views on socialism, their anti-Semitic rhetoric, and their negative comments about law enforcement – but the President’s tweet that some Members of Congress should go back to the ‘places from which they came’ was way over the line, and he should take that down," she said.

Trump wrote in a series of four tweets Sunday:

When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!

So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly......

....and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how....

....it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!

'When your enemy is destroying himself ... '

Powerline blogger John Hinderaker, who noted his readers know him to be a "fan" of the president, nevertheless, called the tweets "the single stupidest act of Trump’s presidency."

Hinderaker said Trump "committed the worst unforced error of his presidency, one that we will hear about from the Democrats from now until November 2020."

He said he's "sure Trump is right that Nancy Pelosi would be happy to work out travel arrangements to get rid of the Squad."

"But now she won’t have to. Trump’s attack on the Squad was so foolish that I would assume it to be a case of drunk-tweeting, except that the President doesn’t drink."

He pointed out that the Associated Press, in a report on the tweets, accuses Trump of "starkly injecting race into his criticism of liberal Democrats."

"But Trump didn’t say a word about race. It was the AP that starkly injected race into the controversy. Which, of course, doesn’t excuse the single stupidest act of Trump’s presidency."

Hinderaker's colleague at Powerline Steven Hayward had a mixed reaction.

He said he agreed that Trump should have followed the old adage, "When your enemy is destroying himself, get out of the way."

"But Trump’s animal instincts come into play here," he wrote.

"With a wedge opening up between the Democratic Party leadership and the noisy Four Freshmen reps (and I can guarantee that AOC is the least popular member of the House Democratic caucus), Trump has now forced Pelosi and every other Democrat to come to their defense, elevating their profile further and cementing them as the authoritative face of the Democratic Party."

Hayward said that "like his clumsy Charlottesville remarks, taken out of context and twisted," Trump’s "subtle target here is multiculturalism and 'diversity'— the tacit premise of the left that America should be guilty and abject before the supposedly "oppressed" nations of what we used to call the Third World."

"Trump goes way too far as usual, but his bit about 'come back and show us how' is actually a good argument," Hayward wrote.

"I still wish Trump would lose his phone. But the over-reaction to this is utterly predictable."