{"id":2037,"date":"2017-08-20T12:04:20","date_gmt":"2017-08-20T16:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/press.nbcnews.com\/?p=2037"},"modified":"2017-08-20T12:04:20","modified_gmt":"2017-08-20T16:04:20","slug":"mtp-exclusive-fmr-gop-conf-chair-silent-members-of-congress-wear-the-cap-disappointed-more-members-of-trump-faith-council-didnt-resi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com\/nbcnews\/2017\/08\/20\/mtp-exclusive-fmr-gop-conf-chair-silent-members-of-congress-wear-the-cap-disappointed-more-members-of-trump-faith-council-didnt-resi\/","title":{"rendered":"MTP EXCLUSIVE: FMR. GOP CONF. CHAIR: \u2018SILENT\u2019 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS \u2018WEAR THE CAP,\u2019 \u2018DISAPPOINTED\u2019 MORE MEMBERS OF TRUMP FAITH COUNCIL DIDN\u2019T RESIGN"},"content":{"rendered":"

EXCLUSIVE: Civil Rights Icon Andrew Young, Jr.: \u201cI feel uncomfortable condemning the Klan types \u2026 They are the forgotten Americans\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

ALSO: Young: Trump \u201cmade a mistake in thinking that living was easy\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

PLUS: New NBC News\/Marist polls show Trump\u2019s job rating is below 40 percent in three key states\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

AUGUST 19, 2017 — In an exclusive interview on NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.)<\/strong> told moderator Chuck Todd that if members of Congress are \u201csilent, intentionally or unintentionally, they wear the cap saying, \u201cWe agree with that.\u201d\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last seven months, there’s been ample opportunity to disagree with the president on many issues,\u201d Watts said. \u201cThis is not a time for us to be afraid of being tweeted. You know, this is not a time for us to suppress our convictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI’m quite disappointed, Chuck, that we didn’t have more on the faith council to resign, or at least speak out.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Civil rights icon Andrew Young<\/strong>, also a former United Nations ambassador and Atlanta mayor, exclusively shared his insights on this \u201cweek of misunderstandings\u201d: \u201cWe originally sought to redeem the soul of America from the triple evils of race, war and poverty. Most of the issues that we\u2019re dealing with now are related to poverty. But we still want to put everything in a racial context. The reason I feel uncomfortable condemning the Klan types is \u2013 they are almost the poorest of the poor. They are the forgotten Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young said that President Trump is \u201cstill politicking and thinking nationally, as a nationalist\u201d and that he \u201cmade a mistake in thinking that living was easy and it just is not.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

New NBC News\/Marist poll numbers<\/strong> from the key Trump states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin debuted on the broadcast, revealing the president\u2019s job rating is below 40 percent in all three states.<\/a><\/p>\n

Todd also moderated a discussion between Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center <\/strong>and Mark Bray, author of \u201cAntifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,\u201d<\/strong> on how to respond to white supremacists when they take to the streets.<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.)<\/strong>, The Weekly Standard\u2019s Stephen Hayes<\/strong>, The Wall Street Journal\u2019s Peggy Noonan<\/strong>, also a new NBC News and MSNBC political contributor, and The Washington Post\u2019s Eugene Robinson<\/strong> discussed the president\u2019s reaction to Charlottesville<\/a>. Julius Krein<\/strong>, who wrote the viral column \u201cI Voted for Trump. And I Sorely Regret It.\u201d<\/a> for The New York Times this week, also joined the roundtable.<\/p>\n

Read the full transcript of this morning\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on <\/strong>MeetThePress.com<\/strong><\/a>, and check out a renewed look at NBC News\u2019 1966 documentary on political extremism, <\/strong>\u201cPolitics: The Outer Fringe.\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

For more from moderator Chuck Todd throughout the week, sign up for the \u201cFirst Read\u201d newsletter,<\/a> and subscribe to the \u201c1947: The Meet The Press Podcast\u201d<\/a> for on-demand interviews.<\/p>\n

MANDATORY CREDIT: NBC NEWS\u2019 \u201cMEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD\u201d \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n