President Donald Trump’s retweets of anti-Muslim videos has come under scrutiny during a federal appeals court hearing on the latest version of his travel ban.
Judges of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals were asked Friday to consider the president’s Nov. 29 retweeting of videos purporting to show Muslims committing acts of violence as they debate whether to uphold a partial injunction against the ban issued by a Maryland judge in October.
A lawyer for groups challenging the travel ban told the judges that the president’s retweeting of the videos, as well as other statements he’s made about Muslims, show that he has “doubled down” on a campaign pledge to keep Muslims out of the U.S.
The judges differed on whether they should consider Trump’s statements or simply to look at the language of his proclamation outlining the ban.
The 4th Circuit rejected an earlier version of the travel ban in May, finding that it “drips with religious intolerance.” In that ruling, the court cited Trump’s statements about Muslims.