Amber Athey | White House Correspondent
\nThe Daily Caller<\/p>\n
Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School student who was accused of mocking a Native American protester, opened up about the incident in an interview Wednesday on NBC\u2019s \u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandmann, in his\u00a0first public interview<\/a>\u00a0since his confrontation with Native American veteran Nathan Phillips, explained how difficult the media attacks have been on him and his family and\u00a0denied being disrespectful<\/a>\u00a0to Phillips.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I wish I would\u2019ve walked away,\u201d Sandmann said of the moment Phillips approached him with a drum. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be disrespectful to Mr. Phillips and walk away if he was trying to talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding the so-called \u201csmirk\u201d on his face, Sandmann explained, \u201cI see it as a smile that says, \u2018this is the best you\u2019re going to get out of me. You won\u2019t get any further reaction or aggression and I\u2019m willing to stand here as long as you want to hit this drum in my face.’\u201d<\/p>\n Sandmann also chastised the people who jumped to conclusions about his intentions during the confrontation, asserting that \u201cthey\u2019ve had to assume so many things\u201d to label him a racist and someone who is disrespectful to adults.<\/p>\n The young student concluded by thanking Phillips for his military service and inviting him to sit down to have a discussion. He also noted that the backlash against his family has been \u201cterrible\u201d and that they have been dealing with death threats.<\/p>\n The media was quick to attack the Covington Catholic students from Kentucky over the weekend when it appeared they were mocking and taunting Native American protesters while on a class trip in Washington, DC. Full video of the incident revealed that the students were participating in school spirit chants and that Phillips approached the students first.\u00a0(RELATED: The Real Story About The Catholic School Boys And The Native American Protester)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Phillips\u00a0repeatedly mischaracterized<\/a>\u00a0the event in interviews with the press and even indicated that he might support expulsion for the students he encountered that day. Phillips also admitted that he assigned bad intentions to the students because they had been participating in the March for Life rally against abortion.\u00a0(RELATED: Nathan Phillips Suggests Expelling Covington Teens)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n While Sandmann offered to have a sit-down with Phillips, the Native American protester previously said it is \u201cnot the right time\u201d to have a discussion with the students.<\/p>\n ___ NICHOLAS SANDMANN DESCRIBES \u2018TERRIBLE\u2019 AFTERMATH OF CONFRONTATION WITH NATHAN PHILLIPS Amber Athey | White House Correspondent The Daily Caller Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School student who was accused of mocking a Native American protester, opened up about the … Continue reading
\nhttps:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2019\/01\/23\/covington-phillips-nicholas-sandmann-nbc-today-interview\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"