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House to vote on resolution to condemn Trump's 'racist comments'

Trump's lawyers: Courts have no say over his Twitter feed
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(CNN) -- The House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday on a resolution denouncing the President for "racist comments" targeting four Democratic congresswomen of color.

The resolution states that "President Donald Trump's racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color" and "strongly condemns" the President's remarks, including "that our fellow Americans who are immigrants, and those who may look to the President like immigrants, should 'go back' to other countries."

Trump has faced intense backlash, including from some congressional Republicans, after suggesting in a series of tweets over the weekend that the four Democratic progressive women known on Capitol Hill as "The Squad" should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

The President's tweets did not explicitly mention the lawmakers by name, but it was clear who Trump was referring to and his comments came on the heels of a public clash between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the four lawmakers, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

The President has continued to defend his remarks amid backlash, claiming on Tuesday that the "tweets were NOT Racist," and urging Republicans to vote against the resolution. "The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show 'weakness' and fall into their trap," the President tweeted on Tuesday.

While a significant number of congressional Republicans have rebuked the President over his comments, House GOP leadershiphas come to Trump's defense.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, insisted the President's tweets were not racist at a news conference on Tuesday. The top House Republican said he'll be voting against the Democratic-backed resolution condemning the tweets and suggested he was encouraging other members to vote against it as well.

"Yeah, it's all politics," McCarthy said when asked if he's encouraging Republicans to oppose it.

Democrats have been united in their condemnation of the President over his attacks on the progressive lawmakers. Pelosi urged the caucus in a closed-door meeting Tuesday to support the resolution. "These are our sisters," she said, referring to the so-called squad. "We are offended by what he said about our sisters."

But that unity comes after a clash between Pelosi and the same lawmakers that escalated after Pelosi told The New York Times in reference to their opposition to a border funding bill in Congress, "They didn't have any following. They're four people and that's how many votes they got."

For now, the divide among Democrats appears to have been at least papered over as they come together in opposition to the President.

It is unclear how many Republican lawmakers will vote for the resolution. But with the top House Republican vocally opposing the measure and the President pushing back, it is unlikely to be a large number.

Pelosi announced on Monday that Democrats would take up a resolution in response to the attacks from the President, saying, "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," in a Dear Colleague letter to House Democrats.

The four progressive Democratic congresswomen have also forcefully pushed back.

At a press conference on Monday, Omar condemned the President's words as "a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members of the United States of House of Representatives, all of whom are women of color."

Omar went on to say, "This is the agenda of white nationalists, whether it is happening in chat rooms or it's happening on national TV, and now it's reached the White House garden."

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