Mitt Romney calls Donald Trump’s response to former KKK leader’s support ‘disqualifying & disgusting’

Mitt Romney’s 2016 rock-throwing crusade toward Donald Trump continued Monday afternoon.

The former Massachusetts governor and two-time presidential candidate tweeted that Trump’s refusal Sunday to disavow the support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was “disqualifying’’ and “disgusting.’’

A disqualifying & disgusting response by @realDonaldTrump to the KKK. His coddling of repugnant bigotry is not in the character of America.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) February 29, 2016

After the former “grand wizard’’ of the white supremacist group urged followers to support Trump, the Republican candidate declined to overtly disavow Duke during an interview Sunday.

“I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists,’’ Trump told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “So I don’t know. I don’t know — did he endorse me, or what’s going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists.’’

Later Sunday afternoon, Trump tweeted a clip of a press conference Friday, in which he was asked of Duke’s endorsement.

“David Duke endorsed me? OK, I disavow,’’ he said.

In a Today Show interview Monday morning, Trump blamed his response on a “very bad earpiece’’ he was given at a house in Florida from which he was taping the CNN interview.

This is far from the first time that Romney and Trump have clashed. The former Republican presidential nominee, who has been among the most prominent Trump critics within his party, recently suggested the real estate mogul’s undisclosed tax returns contain a “bombshell.’’

In turn, Trump — consistent with his past responses — said Romney was “one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics.’’

Trump endorsed Romney in 2012.