Kevin McCarthy condemns House vote on Trump's 'go back' comments: 'This is about politics'

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy denied the Republican Party had an optics problem as many members of his conference prepare to vote against a measure censuring President Trump for telling a quartet of minority House Democratic women “to go back” to where they came from.

“I think this party has been very clear. We are the party of Lincoln,” the California Republican told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. “Let’s not be false about what is happening today. This is about politics.”

McCarthy, a Trump ally, added the president’s comments weren’t racist, urging his Democratic colleagues to “get back to the business of America.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy denied the Republican Party had an optics problem as many members of his conference prepare to vote against a measure censuring President Trump for telling a quartet of minority House Democratic women “to go back” to where they came from.

“I think this party has been very clear. We are the party of Lincoln,” the California Republican told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. “Let’s not be false about what is happening today. This is about politics.”

McCarthy, a Trump ally, added the president’s comments weren’t racist, urging his Democratic colleagues to “get back to the business of America.”

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who has publicly clashed with some of the liberal freshman female lawmakers, opened up the press conference by reiterating her party’s opposition to them had “absolutely nothing to do with race or gender or religion.”

“We oppose them and their policies because their policies are dangerous and wrong, and will destroy America,” the House Republican Conference chairwoman said. “The issue here is the content of their policies, and we will continue to stand up and fight against what we know is wrong for this nation.”

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana similarly slammed the women for using a press conference this week to push for Trump’s impeachment and spread “false and misleading things from this microphone” about the immigration crisis at the southern border.

“We expressed our disagreements in a respectful way,” Scalise said of congressional Republicans’ relationship with former President Barack Obama.

Trump has sustained his criticism of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, first issued over the weekend. Omar was born in Somalia and moved to America at age 12, while the other three were born in the U.S.

Each have at times chafed under House Democratic leadership due to their more liberal positions, including immigration.

“Our Country is Free, Beautiful and Very Successful. If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!” the president tweeted Tuesday morning.