WASHINGTON _ Latino evangelical leader Samuel Rodriguez will participate in the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Michael Pence.
The president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who is no stranger to controversy, has taken aim at both sides of the aisle. He condemned Trump's "deplorable rhetoric on Hispanics" and criticized Democrats for failing to properly address the nation's immigration quandary when they had the opportunity in 2008.
"Their failure to not prioritize immigration reform resulted in a broken promise," Rodriguez wrote in a July op-ed for Fox News. "Now, they make the same promise again, and Latinos don't know if they can trust either party."
Rodriguez will join Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, and the Rev. Franklin Graham at next month's inauguration ceremony. He is among six faith leaders who will participate in the swearing-in ceremony.
Despite criticizing Trump's rhetoric about building a wall and deporting millions of immigrants here illegally, Rodriguez also defended Trump against accusations that he was a racist and accused the media of trying to paint Trump in a negative light.
