WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's administration "reached out" to offer support for the Covington Catholic High School students involved in a confrontation at the Lincoln Memorial over the weekend, but officials pushed back on a report that the students would visit the White House this week.

“We’ve reached out and voiced our support," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Tuesday. "If the president does have them here, it will be sometime after the shutdown, if that happens."

Trump offered his support for the all-boys Catholic school in Kentucky after a video from the weekend of a standoff with a Native American activist went viral.

More: Breaking down the full video

Additional videos of the confrontation emerged a day later showing a group of Black Hebrew Israelites taunting the students before Nathan Phillips, the Native American man in the video, and several supporters got between the two groups, casting more questions about who instigated the episode.

"Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be," Trump tweeted. "They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know they will use it for the good – maybe even to bring people together. It started off unpleasant, but can end in a dream!"

A Fox News personality reported the Covington students would visit the White House as early as Wednesday but later walked back that assertion.

It was not immediately clear whether the president had personally spoken with any of the students involved.

"Certainly, no one understands better than this president when the media jumps to conclusions and attacks you for something you may or may not have done," Sanders said.

Contributing: Louisville Courier-Journal



