Critics demand CNN fire Rick Santorum for saying 'nothing' was in America before white colonizers arrived
The former GOP senator and CNN commentator is under fire for saying 'there was nothing here' when colonizers arrived
'I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture,' he said
Native Americans had been living in North America for thousands of years when Columbus arrived
Iroquois confederacy influenced colonies
Influences extend from agriculture to culture and language
Santorum said he had 'no intention of minimizing or in any way devaluing Native American culture'