A San Antonio federal judge who told newly sworn-in citizens that if they didn’t like the results of the U.S. presidential election they could go to another country has reportedly been suspended from overseeing citizenship ceremonies.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Primomo made the statement during a citizenship ceremony at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio Thursday night.
“I can assure you that whether you voted for him or you did not vote for him, if you are a citizen of the United States, he is your president. And he will be your president and if you do not like that, you need to go to another country,” he said.
He also criticized NFL players who kneel during the national anthem as well as protesters who said President-elect Trump was not their president, according to The Washington Times.
Primomo later told KENS that he wanted his message to be unifying and it was not intended to be pro-Trump. He added that he didn’t even vote for Trump.
“I would never say anything like that. I wasn’t trying to say anything for or against Donald Trump,” Primomo told the San Antonio Express-News. “I was just trying to say something hopeful and unifying and unfortunately it was taken out of context.”
The Express-News reported that Primomo told his bosses Tuesday he would retire next year.
Many Democrats and liberals rushed to attack the judge’s words, and critics even started a petition on MoveOn.org to censure him, even though he was within his rights to make those remarks. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a complaint against the judge, asking whether he had violated the code of conduct governing federal judges, the Express-News reported.
It’s sad that this judge was suspended because he was basically telling new citizens to love our country and give the president — any president — respect.
(via: Conservative Tribune)
