WASHINGTON — Appearing on the Sean Hannity’s Fox show on Monday night, former Pennsylvania U.S. senator, twice failed presidential candidate, and now fired CNN commentator Rick Santorum reacted to his firing by CNN. Santorum defended his comments he made about Native Americans during an event on April 23 at a Young America's Foundation event.
Santorum told the impressionable youth that the United States was built on faith and freedom. He said the country was set up based on Judeo-Christian principles, and that white settlers “birthed a nation from nothing.”
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
Santorum on Monday told Hannity while CNN had every right to fire him, he had been “savaged” for telling the truth.
"What I said was not at all disparaging towards Native Americans, what I was talking about is the founding of the United States of America and that Native Americans did not have a role in the founding of our country," Santorum said.
"Now you can say that's a bad thing or a good thing or the way we treated Native Americans was bad, but I was giving a talk to a group of young people talking about the founding principles of religious liberty and how important it was to the immigrants who came here to found this country. And that was an important value that was envied into our Constitution," Santorum continued to Hannity.
"One of the things I'm concerned about is that you get savaged by telling the truth," Santorum said.
"And again, you are entitled to your opinion, but not the facts, and that's where I think we have gotten off-kilter here a little bit in America," Santorum continued.
Help us report important Indigenous news with a donation to Native News Online.
In his apparent attempt to erase Native Americans from influencing the formation of the United States, Santorum left off the part about how the Constitution was influenced by the Iroquois Confederacy. And, of course, all of the other influences Native Americans had on the culture of the nation, such as agricultural products and geographic names.
More Stories Like This
President Biden Signs New Gun Law Aimed to Keep Guns Away from Dangerous PeopleSupreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Indian Country Responds
President Biden Nominates Patrice Kunesh for Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans
Ultra Meaningful: Running the Western States Endurance Run
Supreme Court Rules Miranda Rights to be Limited; Impact on Indian Country
Do you appreciate a Native perspective on the news?
For the past decade-plus, we’ve covered the important Indigenous stories that are often overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the toppling of colonizer statues during the racial equity protests, to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools, we have been there to provide a Native perspective and elevate Native voices.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation this month to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps us remain a force for change in Indian Country and continue telling the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked. Most often, our donors make a one-time gift of $20 or more, while many choose to make a recurring monthly donation of $5 or $10. Whatever you can do, it helps fund our Indigenous-led newsroom and our ability to cover Native news.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
