Rick Santorum dismisses Native American culture and claims ‘there was nothing here’ when colonists arrived

Former US Senator Rick Santorum claimed “there was nothing here” when European colonisers arrived in what would become the United States.

Santorum went on to say “there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture” in a speech to a right-wing student group.

“We came here and created a blank slate. We birthed a nation from nothing,” the CNN commentator added, when speaking to Young America’s Foundation Standing Up For Faith & Freedom conference.

In a comment to The Independent, Santorum said: “I had no intention of minimising or in any way devaluing Native American culture.”