Many Republicans — even those who support Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee — are going on the record condemning Trump's recent attack on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, in which he said the federal judge cannot be impartial in the Trump University civil fraud lawsuits because of his "Mexican heritage."
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who just last week announced his support, said Trump's comments were "out of left field," and that he "completely disagree[s] with the thinking behind that."
But Trump has at least one defender — FOX News host Bill O'Reilly. In the pundit's "Talking Points Commentary" segment closing out Monday's show, O'Reilly highlighted the situation, saying, "Mr. Trump is correct to be indignant and defend himself vigorously."
"Judge Curiel is no raging liberal ... However, the judge belongs to a group called San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, which does advocacy work on behalf of Latinos. ... Because of that Mr. Trump apparently believes the judge may be biased against him, as it is well known the candidate has taken a strong stand against illegal immigration, including building a wall. Summing up, the Trump U case is certainly political, to some extent, and it's a very high-profile situation. Because of that, Talking Points thinks the judge should recuse himself. Not because he did anything wrong — he didn't — but to eliminate any doubt as to the motivation in court rulings."
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