Source: Detroit Free Press

By Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., are criticizing the new chief of staff of the National Security Council over his remarks last year against Muslims in Michigan, while conservatives are defending him.

In a statement released Wednesday, Stabenow wrote: “The new Chief of Staff of the National Security Council, Fred Fleitz, has made unacceptable comments about our Muslim communities in Michigan. Michigan’s diversity should always be celebrated, it’s part of what makes our state a great place to live!”

Fleitz, who was named last week by National Security Adviser John Bolton to be the Council’s new chief of staff and executive secretary and deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, has come under criticism from several civil rights groups for his remarks last year to Breitbart News about Muslims in Michigan and Minnesota.

Fleitz had said: “There are some communities in the United States that have not assimilated. I’m not concerned about Amish or Jewish communities, but I will tell you that there are enclaves of Muslim communities in Michigan and Minnesota that concern me.”

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