(CNN) Congressional Republicans have spent the 24-ish hours since President Donald Trump issued a series of racist tweets hiding from the media. But judging from how Maryland GOP Rep. Andy Harris tried to explain away the President's tweets about a quartet of non-white, female Democratic members, silence might have been the better option.

Harris told WBAL's Bryan Nehman on Monday that Trump's comments were "clearly not racist," adding: "He could have meant go back to the district they came from -- to the neighborhood they came from."

Um, what? This is Olympic-level political pretzel-twisting by Harris. So let's unwind it -- and him.

That process begins by returning to the Trump tweets. Which read like this

"So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can't leave fast enough. I'm sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"

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