‘I Answered the Question’
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is refusing to discuss any details of President Donald Trump’s “religious freedom” executive order. The President is expected to sign it Thursday on the National Day of Prayer amid invited guests including members of anti-gay hate groups and right wing Christian organizations.
Asked by The Washington Blade’s Chris Johnson if the President will sign the order Thursday and will it enable discrimination against LGBT people, Spicer said there will be a “celebration” on Thursday with religious leaders but added, “I’ve never gotten ahead of executive orders.” His suggestion is he has never discussed executive orders prior to them being signed, which is false.
Johnson responded strongly, saying Spicer can’t deny that signing the executive order would put into dispute Trump’s claim that he is a friend of the LGBT community.
Spicer would only respond, “I answered the question.”
Johnson is referring to reports, first from Politico, that say the President is expected to sign an executive order remarkably similar to the one that leaked back in February. If the language has not changed substantially, it would effectively gut the LGBT protections in President Barack Obama’s orders, which Trump promised to not do.Â
Reports, including from NCRM’s sources, say the language is very strong, effectively creating a license to discriminate against many groups, including LGBT people, women, anyone who supports a woman’s right to choose, and anyone who does not believe sex should only be between one man and one woman within the confines of holy matrimony.
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