Republican Senator Rob Portman: Trump’s Order ‘Was Not Properly Vetted’
Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio joined the still small group of Republicans who have criticized Donald Trump’s Muslim-ban. On CNN Sunday morning, Portman criticized Trump for leaving Congress out of the process in making his decision to bar entry to all refugees and individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Portman told CNN’s Jake Taper, “I think the executive order was not properly vetted, so you have an extreme vetting proposal that didn’t get the vetting it should have had, and as a result, we’re seeing some problems.”
Portman also said he is “OK with the stay” on Trump’s immigration order. “We ought to take a deep breath and come up with something that makes sense,” he said.
Five Republican members ― Senators Ben Sasse, Jeff Flake and Susan Collins, along with Representatives Charlie Dent and Justin Amash have all come out against Trump’s executive order this week.
Senator Sasse said in a statement, “If we send a signal to the Middle East that the U.S. sees all Muslims as jihadis, the terrorist recruiters win by telling kids that America is banning Muslims and that this is America versus one religion.”
