Ohio Democrats are ratcheting up their attacks on Donald Trump after the presidential candidate questioned whether a federal judge’s heritage makes him unfit to oversee a lawsuit against the mogul.
Donald Trump says the judge presiding over a lawsuit against his Trump University is being unfair because of his Mexican heritage. Ohio Democrats are firing back at Trump, saying those comments are racist and adding that the judge is an American-born citizen.
State Rep. Dan Ramos, a Democrat from Lorain, says as a Hispanic-American, he takes offense at what Trump is implying for him and his family.
“But if Mr. Trump can’t see this Indiana-born judge as an American judge, how can he see any of us who happen to have a shared heritage as American?”
Gov. John Kasich said through Twitter that Trump’s attacks are wrong and that he should apologize.
A call for Portman to act
The Democrats are also trying to hit U.S. Sen. Rob Portman over the controversy.
Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper says Portman, who has endorsed Trump, should withdraw that support.
“Every Republican who is falling in line behind him is embracing Trump’s ugly and divisive rhetoric and dangerous policies. That includes our own Sen. Rob Portman who is twisting himself into a pretzel trying to simultaneously endorse and condemn Donald Trump.”
A spokesman for Portman said the senator strongly disagrees with Trump on this issue and that a person’s heritage is not relevant to their job performance.
