'Sick and diseased!' Senator gives Trump a tongue-lashing over xenophobic rant

A Democratic lawmaker gave President Donald Trump a verbal tongue-lashing Tuesday over his xenophobic rant against Somali immigrants living in Minnesota.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that the president's rant during the Cabinet meeting and press conference on Tuesday against the Somali immigrant community, including Somali-American Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), was absurd.

"What a what a sick anddiseased guy!" Kaine exclaimed. "'They contributenothing?' You know, I havefriends and family in Minnesotawho talk about the Somalicommunity with a lot of prideand affection. If there's badapples in that community or anycommunity, they ought to sufferlegal consequences justified bytheir actions. But to use abroad brush to paint Somalis asnegative..."

Kaine said immigrants have only helped the United States, and blasted Trump's claims as unfounded.

"Jake, you know Virginia pretty well. We wereone out of 100 foreign-born whenI was born in 1958," Kaine said.

"We're oneout of nine foreign-born now,and we've gone from bottomquarter per capita income to topquarter per capita incomebecause our immigrantcommunities in Virginia and inthis country have been a sourceof great richness andinnovation. It's like thetransfusion in the bloodstreamat 250 that's kept us young. Sodon't use the broad brush togo after all Somalis and saythey contribute nothing. Thatkind of a statement is — it'sjust a symbol of a sad anddiseased mind," Kaine added.