'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 and diseased guy!" Kaine exclaimed. "'They contribute nothing?' You know, I have friends and family in Minnesota who talk about the Somali community with a lot of pride and affection. If there's bad apples in that community or any community, they ought to suffer legal consequences justified by their actions. But to use a broad brush to paint Somalis as negative..."

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

"Jake, you know Virginia pretty well. We were one out of 100 foreign-born when I was born in 1958," Kaine said.

"We're one out of nine foreign-born now, and we've gone from bottom quarter per capita income to top quarter per capita income because our immigrant communities in Virginia and in this country have been a source of great richness and innovation. It's like the transfusion in the bloodstream at 250 that's kept us young. So don't use the broad brush to go after all Somalis and say they contribute nothing. That kind of a statement is — it's just a symbol of a sad and diseased mind," Kaine added.