Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Tuesday defended Donald Trump as a "first-time candidate" amid swirling criticism from Republicans of the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's racially charged rhetoric.
"Be nice to him, he's a first-time candidate," Hatch told members of the media in Washington, according to reporters, adding that Trump is "going to make mistakes."
The Senate president pro tempore indicated that he won't rescind his support for Trump in the wake of the candidate going after the Mexican heritage of a federal judge overseeing lawsuits against Trump University.
Hatch said Trump is "not a racist" but said the businessman makes "outrageous statements."
Trump has rebuffed criticism from lawmakers from across the political spectrum who have slammed him for saying Judge Gonzalo Curiel has a conflict of interest in a Trump University case because of Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican parents.
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Tuesday called Trump’s rhetoric "the textbook definition of racist comments" but clarified shortly after that he was not calling the candidate himself a racist.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has bashed Trump over his comments on the judge, saying he may target a female or black judge in the same way he went after Curiel.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/282513-hatch-be-nice-to-first-time-candidate-trumpCan it get any worse, folks?
