White House reporter April Ryan followed up Wednesday on whether the Trump administration believes "slavery is wrong," with press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders calling the suggestion "disgusting and absurd."
"What is the definition of compromise as it relates to slavery and the Civil War?" Ryan asked, in reference to an interview by Chief of Staff John Kelly where he said the Civil War was caused by a "lack of compromise."
"I think I've addressed the concerns that a lot of people had and the questions that you had. And I'm not going to relitigate history here," Sanders said.
"I had a question still lingering when you left. And I'm going to ask the question again," Ryan said, referencing shouting out the day before to ask whether the administration felt slavery was wrong.
"Why don't you ask it in a way that apparently you are accusing me of being?" Sanders asked.
"I'm not accusing. I'm asking the question, seriously, Sarah ... Does this administration believe, does this president believe slavery was wrong?" Ryan asked.
"And before you answer, Mary Frances Berry, historian, said in 1860 there was a compromise. The compromise was to have southern states keep slavery but the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter that caused the Civil War," Ryan added.
"I think it is disgusting and absurd to suggest that anyone inside of this building would support slavery," Sanders said, moving on to other questions.