Pennsylvania

Santorum Says ‘There Isn't Much Native American Culture in American Culture'

Santorum, a Republican from Pennsylvania, served in the Senate from 1995 to 2007 and is now a CNN commentator

Rick Santorum, former senator from Pennsylvania, arrives at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he had the "highest confidence" in the intelligence community, in sharp contrast to President-elect Donald Trump's attack on the CIA after reports it found that the Russian government tried to help him win the presidency.
Albin Lohr-Jones/Pool via Bloomberg

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum drew criticism for comments last week that "there isn't much Native American culture in American culture."

In remarks to conservative group the Young America's Foundation on Friday, Santorum argued that the culture of the United States is largely unchanged since it was birthed by "Judeo-Christian" values, NBC News reports.

Santorum, 62, a Republican from Pennsylvania who served in the Senate from 1995 to 2007 and is now a CNN commentator, said there was "nothing here" before European settlers arrived.

"We came here and created a blank slate," Santorum said. "We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes we have Native Americans, but candidly there isn't much Native American culture in American culture."

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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