ICYMI: NRCC Condemned for their Disgusting, Xenophobic, and Hateful Social Media Attacks

In the latest example of their use of hateful, ignorant, and racist rhetoric, the NRCC is being condemned today for posting a xenophobic smear on social media against Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Despite a massive and bipartisan rejection of the post, the NRCC refuses to apologize.

Let’s be clear: This anti-immigrant rhetoric is not only false but denigrates every person who came here lawfully to pursue the American dream. And it’s shameful that House Republicans aren’t condemning this kind of language from the NRCC.

Read more below on the swift and far-reaching backlash to the NRCC’s latest example of out-of-touch hatemongering:

HuffPost: ‘Vile, Ignorant And Racist’: GOP Account Ripped Over ‘Disgusting’ Attack On Dem Lawmaker

• A Republican-run social media account is coming under fire for what critics are calling a “vile” and “racist” attack on a U.S. lawmaker this week.

• After Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) delivered the Spanish-language rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress, the National Republican Congressional Committee slammed him as an “illegal immigrant.”

• He has been a U.S. citizen for more than 40 years, and in 2016 became the first formerly undocumented immigrant elected to Congress.

NBC: Republican group falsely calls a Latino congressman an ‘illegal immigrant’

• The National Republican Congressional Committee is facing backlash after falsely referring to Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., as an “illegal immigrant.”

• Espaillat responded to the NRCC’s post, telling reporters on Thursday that the Republican Party was “invaded by xenophobes that think that anybody that doesn’t look like them is an illegal.” 

• “This is tragic and unfortunate, and because of that, I think I got a lot of support from all over the country calling them out for being a bunch of xenophobes,” he added later.

• “We overstayed our visa. We then adhered to the path that the law provided us, which was to go back to the Dominican Republic, get our green card, came back as a green card holder, became a U.S. citizen,” he said. “And now, I’m a member of Congress. What a great American story.”

Washington Post: GOP group lambasted for referring to Latino congressman as ‘illegal immigrant’

• Democrats roundly condemned a Republican campaign group for falsely characterizing Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York) as an “illegal immigrant” on its social media account this week.

• “This is xenophobic, untrue, and denigrates every immigrant who came here lawfully to pursue the American dream. Pretty disgusting stuff from the NRCC,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wrote on X.

• Espaillat said the NRCC’s post puts on display “xenophobic feelings” within the Republican Party.

• “It is unfortunate that they’ve taken it this low,” Espaillat told reporters off of the House floor Thursday. “I think it further explains that anybody that doesn’t look like them they consider to be an illegal. It’s tragic.

• The rhetoric used against Espaillat is emblematic of the heightened tensions on Capitol Hill and how Republicans have ratcheted up their attacks on immigrants.

• GOP Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez, who also represents a South Florida district, said he “wouldn’t have used that term” given that Espaillat is “a member of Congress” who demands “respect.” Asked whether the descriptor could be alienating to Latino voters who have recently embraced Republicans, Gimenez said “you can infer that from my statement.”

The Hill: Jeffries bashes GOP for ‘illegal immigrant’ smear against House Democrat: ‘Disgusting’

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is hammering the Republicans’ campaign arm for falsely characterizing a Hispanic member of Congress as “an illegal immigrant.”

• The National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) on Wednesday blasted a message on social media attacking Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), who is a U.S. citizen, over his critical response to President Trump’s speech to Congress the night before.

• Jeffries, who also hails from New York City, wasted no time responding to the smear with a barb of his own. 

• “These people are disgusting,” he wrote on X.

• At the start of this year, Espaillat became head of the Congressional Hispanic Congress (CHC), which put out its own statement attacking the NRCC’s false characterization. 

• “The xenophobic rhetoric from Trump Republicans proves that you can follow the law, get your papers, become a citizen, get elected to Congress — swear multiple oaths to protect and defend the Constitution — and all you will ever be to Trump Republicans: an ‘illegal immigrant,’” the group posted on X.

Politico: Democrats slam GOP campaign committee labeling New York lawmaker an ‘illegal immigrant’

• House Republicans’ campaign arm directly attacked Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s immigration status, drawing condemnation from Democrats.

• The direct attack of Espaillat, the first Dominican American member of Congress and a former undocumented immigrant, was met with a swift response from top Democrats who called the post racist.

• Newly elected Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said the GOP “isn’t even trying to hide its racism anymore.”

The New Republic: Republicans Hurl Racist Insult at Democratic Hispanic Caucus Chair

• The Republican Party isn’t even pretending not to be racist now.

• The National Republican Congressional Committee published an atrocious social media post Wednesday calling Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat an “illegal immigrant,” after the New York Democrat gave a Spanish-language rebuttal to Donald Trump’s address to Congress.

• The NRCC, which once posted a wildly xenophobic ad showing A.I.-generated images of immigrants flooding U.S. national parks, issued a new installment in its catalogue of extremely racist posts, this time targeting Espaillat.

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