Walden joins critics over Trump’s Muslim remarks

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., has joined Oregon’s two Democratic senators in criticizing GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for a ban on allowing Muslims to enter the U.S.

“This is not what we’re about as a party, and this is not what we’re about as a country, and we cannot yield to this,” Walden told the Website Politico on Tuesday.

Walden is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is charged with electing Republicans to the House.

“People have to be very careful about what they say at all times,” Walden said. “And this, as Speaker (Paul) Ryan said today, this is not what we’re about as a party; this is not what we’re about as a country.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called the candidate’s remarks an “outrageous statement” of “dangerous and divisive demagoguery.”

Here’s the senator’s statement, in full:

“This latest outrageous statement insults our treasured American value of welcoming refugees from violent oppression and terror. While our country must always ensure the refugee screening process is as strong as possible and protects all Americans, I completely reject Mr. Trump’s dangerous and divisive demagoguery.

“As a child of parents who fled Nazi Germany as refugees, I fully appreciate both the embrace this country provided my family, and the perils of failing to confront hateful speech when it arises.”

On Monday, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., strongly condemned the proposal on the Senate floor, calling it “the single worst idea I have heard from any presidential candidate, ever.”

Merkley denounced Trump’s proposal, which he said would even seek to bar active duty American servicemembers of the Muslim faith serving abroad and other citizens from returning home, as inconsistent with the vision of the Constitution.

The senator noted that patriotic Americans of all religions are working together to defeat the threat posed by ISIS.

Merkley also blasted Trump’s idea as one that would endanger national security.

“Making Islam the enemy is playing straight out of ISIS’s playbook,” Merkley said, “which wants to create a war between America and Islam. And in that sense, this type of irresponsible statement endangers our national security.”

Trump’s statement also is the topic of our current KTVZ.COM Poll, which you can find halfway down the right side of our home page