Spicer: ‘What happened if we didn’t act and somebody was killed?’ – The Hill

White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday defended the President Trump’s executive order, saying the administration needed to act now to “protect the future.”

“There was a very short period of time in which we had something to execute that would ensure that the people of the United States were safe,” Spicer said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“What happened if we didn’t act and somebody was killed?” he asked. “We act now to protect the future.”

Spicer also said “everybody that needed to be consulted” on the executive order was consulted.

“Everybody understands what the president was doing and why he was doing it and everybody that needed to be consulted was,” Spicer said.

“Everyone that needed to be part of the process was consulted.”

The executive order signed Friday bars Syrian refugees indefinitely and halts the United States’ refugee resettlement program for four months. It also denies entry for 90 days to people from seven predominately Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Libya.

After the order was signed, reports emerged of refugees being detained upon arrival at U.S. airports and new details continued to surface about the exact scope of who would be impacted by the order.

Protests broke out Saturday and Sunday in cities across the country, and some lawmakers raised concerns about the order and its implementation.