U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended President Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying he has as much right to speak his mind about the NFL’s national anthem protests as anyone else.
Sessions also said that he thinks players who refuse to respect the national anthem are making a “big mistake” and that such actions weaken “the commitment we have to this nation.”
The Attny Gen appeared at Georgetown University to speak about free speech on college campuses, Reuters reported.
Sessions also spoke of the controversial protests staged by NFL players during the playing of the national anthem.
“The players aren’t subject to any prosecution, but if they take a provocative act, they can expect to be condemned, and the president has the right to condemn them, and I would condemn their actions,” Sessions said.
Sessions also spoke to the president’s comments made during a campaign rally in Huntsville, Alabama, for Republican Senate candidate Luther Strange.
During the rally, the president said that he hoped the NFL’s owners would fire players who refused to stand for the anthem.
However, while many have attacked the president for his criticism of the NFL, Sessions defended the president saying he has a right to his point of view.
Sessions was asked about the president’s comments during the question and answer period, but Sessions said Trump was merely exercising his own free speech on the topic, just like everyone else has. “The president has free speech rights too,” Sessions insisted.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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