Louisiana Governor and long shot Republican presidential hopeful Bobby Jindal has entered the latest battle to combat what he calls the “silent war” against "religious liberty."
Jindal's cause: Kim Davis, the jailed Kentucky clerk who remained steadfast in her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and became an overnight right-wing crusader. Jindal's target: Donald Trump, the dominant Republican presidential frontrunner who claims the Bible is his favorite book but refuses to name a favorite verse.
Jindal has vigorously defended the Rowan County Clerk, arguing, "I don't think anyone should have to choose between following their conscience and religious beliefs and giving up their job and facing financial sanctions." Davis was taken into federal custody yesterday after refusing to follow a court order.
This morning, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Trump said that although he did "hate to see her being put in jail," he believed that Davis should understand that the United States is a "nation of laws" and that it "would be nice to have other people in her office do what they have to do."
Jindal, who has argued that Davis, not same-sex couples looking for their Kentucky marriage license, who had been targeted for discrimination, attacked Trump for not sufficiently rushing to Davis' defense. In a Twitter rant today, Jindal told Trump he couldn't "make America great again by throwing the Christians in jail":
Jindal, who is polling at .4% national support, has not yet said if he would join fellow right-wing Republican candidate Mike Huckabee at a Kentucky rally in support of Davis next week but he continues to insist that Davis is a victim, not a lawbreaker:
I think it's wrong to force Christian individuals or business owners. We are seeing government today discriminate against whether it's clerks, florists, musicians or others. I think that's wrong. I think you should be able to keep your job and follow your conscience ... I absolutely do believe people have a First Amendment right, a constitutional right. I don't think the court can take that away.
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The United States didn't create religious liberty. Religious liberty created the United States of America. It's the reason we are here today. This is an essential freedom and an essential right and I don't think you give up this right by simply taking a job.
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