Democrats blasting President Donald Trump's executive order on refugees, claiming it amounts to a Muslim registry, need to know one critical detail of the directive: It does not mention Muslims at all.
It does not discriminate in any way to religion but only applies to terrorism, Kellyanne Conway said Friday, the Washington Examiner reported.
"It's actually based on a country's history: exporting into training and harboring terrorists," Conway told Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor."
"The president said this executive order is meant to protect our nation from terrorists. In effect in means that those countries that have this history [of exporting terrorism]."
Guest host Eric Bolling, filling in for Bill O'Reilly, confirmed the order made no mention of religion or Muslims, the Examiner reported.
"Kellyanne, I have the executive order in my hand, I went through this," Bolling said. "I don't see you guys pointing out anyone by religion. It looks like by origin, national origin. Is that right?"
President Trump did say Friday his "extreme vetting" plan is designed "to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America," but Conway confirmed to Fox News the written executive order makes no direct reference to religion — only origin of the refugees.
President Trump's order imposes an indefinite ban on those coming from war-torn Syria and freezes the U.S. refugee program for 120 days. It also suspends visas for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for at least 30 days — in a move for "extreme vetting" Trump promised during the presidential campaign this fall.