Trump allies go on offense over NFL controversy

Trump administration officials and allies played defense for the president on TV Sunday:

• Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin: "They have the right to have their First amendment off the field. This is a job."
• Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short: "What's unfortunate is when [the Golden State Warriors] try to politicize an invitation to come from the White House ... It's not necessary to make this into a political argument."
• Former Rep. Newt Gingrich: "I feel really sad at the cowardice of people like [NFL comissioner] Roger Goodell who are going to preside over the decay of American institutions rather than take on young players."

And some congressional Republicans echoed Trump's sentiment, but did not openly condone the president's remarks:

• Sen. John Cornyn: It's "profoundly ungrateful given the sacrifice of our military ... not to demonstrate respect for the flag."
• Sen. Ted Cruz: "I, for one, am not a fan of rich, spoiled athletes disrespecting the flag."