Backbone - Jun. 14, 2016

QOUTATION FROM THE DES MOINES REGISTER: When it comes to Donald Trump, there are invertebrates that have shown more spine than Sen. Charles Grassley.

CLIP OF TRUMP DURING A SPEECH: But I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump, a hater. He’s a hater. His name is Gonzalo Curiel.

JAKE TAPPER: It sounds like you are calling into question his character.
TRUMP: I think he should excuse himself because he’s a Mexican. We’re building a wall between here and Mexico.
TAPPER: If you are saying he can’t do his job because of his race, is that not the definition of racism?
TRUMP: I don’t think so at all.

SCREEN TEXT: Even many Republicans have stood up to him on this one.

SENATOR LYNDSEY GRAHAM: I think his comments were racist.

SENATOR MARK KIRK: That was too racist.

CHUCK TODD: Is that not a racist statement?

SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL: I couldn’t disagree more with a statement like that.

SENATORPAUL RYAN: Claiming a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment.

SCREEN TEXT: But what does Chuck Grassley have to say about Trump’s racist attacks?

QUESTION FROM CALLER: Do you think ethnicity disqualifies somebody? From a federal – from hearing a case?
GRASSLEY: Oh… uh… uh…

GRASSLEY, SPEAKING WITH REPORTER: If he feels like he’s been wronged some way, there’s a process to go through and I’ve suggested that you ought to go through the process of filing the proper motion.

VIDEO CLIP OF GRASSLEY: I don’t know the facts of the case, but I think Iowans, as I can tell from my town meetings, aren’t very concerned about this.

QOUTATION FROM THE DES MOINES REGISTER: When it comes to Donald Trump, there are invertebrates that have shown more spine than Sen. Charles Grassley.