GOP Senator Thom Tillis has strongly criticized White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s recent comments suggesting that the United States should take control of Greenland, calling the remarks “fantasy” and “absurd,” and urging President Donald Trump to fire people who give such advice.
“I’m sick of being stupid,” the retiring North Carolina senator said during a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “I want good advice for this president, because I want this president to have a good legacy. And this nonsense about what’s happening with Greenland is a distraction from the good work he’s doing, and the enthusiasts who said it was a good idea should lose their jobs.”
On Monday, Miller claimed during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” that the Trump administration’s formal position is that “Greenland should be part of the United States.”
Miller also questioned Denmark’s claim on Arctic territory. “What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis for having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?” he said.
Tillis, who serves as the top Republican on the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, said Miller’s position in the White House does not give him the right to speak for the entire US government.
“He doesn’t speak for the US government,” Tillis said.
“Mr. Miller said that the American government – obviously Greenland should be part of the United States. This is absurd,” he said.
Tillis also warned that Miller’s comments distracted them from the Trump administration’s military operation in Venezuela.
“What makes me cranky? Stupid. What makes me cranky is when people don’t do their homework. What makes me cranky is when you tarnish the extraordinary execution of a mission that I fully support in Venezuela by turning around and making crazy comments about how it’s our right to have a territory owned by the Kingdom of Denmark,” declared Tillis.
“Folks, the amateur hour is over. You don’t speak for this US senator or Congress,” he continued.
The North Carolina senator also emphasized the value of the NATO alliance, and Denmark’s role in it. He pointed out Denmark’s “disproportionately high” contribution to the NATO response after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, noting that they lost 43 soldiers in Afghanistan, out of a national population of 6 million.
“You want to thank the president again for all the good things he’s doing? Then give him some good advice,” Tillis said.
Tillis’ speech came after he issued a joint statement with the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, criticizing the administration’s approach to Greenland. Tillis and Shaheen are co-chairs of the Senate’s bipartisan NATO Observer Group.
“When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” they said. “Any suggestion that our nation subjects a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend.”
CNN’s Kit Maher contributed to this report.
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