Steve Cortes, a member of Donald Trump’s Hispanic Advisory Council, on Tuesday touted the president’s “outreach” to minority communities and argued that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke cannot be a “prejudiced bigot” because his wife is a Latina—prompting his fellow CNN panelists to promptly school him on the realities of racism.
The panel was discussing a report (citing three Interior Department officials), that Zinke told his staff “diversity isn’t important” and the department doesn’t “need to focus on [diversity] anymore.” The department has denied those claims.
“Why are we surprised?” CNN political commentator and former Capitol Hill GOP Communications Director Tara Setmayer asked. “I mean, this is the cast of characters that—it's the C-team. This isn't exactly the cream of the crop here that's in this Trump Cabinet. I mean, you know, you vote for a clown you're going to get the circus. This is what you get.”
“Yes, there are some things you can take political correctness too far, but there is also a certain amount of professionalism that I think the American people expect from the Cabinet members that they are not getting,” Setmayer added.
Symone Sanders, former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders, noted if Zinke’s reported claims about diversity were true “we wouldn't need inclusion and diversity initiatives.”
“Clearly the secretary believes diversity initiatives do not equal the best folks rising to the top, and that's problematic,” Sanders explained.
Cortes replied that as a Hispanic Trump supporter he doesn’t “agree with these sentiments if [Zinke] indeed did say them,” but took issue with Setmayer describing Trump’s Cabinet as a “circus.”
“This man [Zinke], number one, is a Navy SEAL, all right, so, he deserves your respect,” Cortes demanded. “He’s a cabinet member. Two, he's married to a Latina who I’ve met several times at many Hispanic Republican events. The idea that he doesn't have any idea about diversity or that he doesn't respect disparate voices, I think, is absurd just even in his own life.”
“Being married to a Latina does not mean you cannot be insensitive towards diversity issues and/or be diversity and inclusion problematic,” Sanders interjected. “Proximity, because you're married to someone of color, does not equal you can't be issues, it does not mean you cannot have issues with diversity. Just want to be clear.”
“That's right,” Setmayer replied.
“You pulled the ‘Latina friend card,’” Sanders argued.
“It certainly means that you're not some prejudice bigot!” Cortes protested. “If you're willing to marry somebody.”
“That's not true,” Sanders said. “Oh, my God, that's not true. That's a common misconception.”
Cortes went on to claim that Republican outreach to minority communities is better under Trump, who famously made his pitch by asking people of color, “What do you have to lose?”
Watch the segment below, via CNN: