These Republicans are blaming the Charlottesville violence on white supremacy groups
Speaking in a press conference from his New Jersey golf club, President Donald Trump condemned Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, as an “egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides” — remarks that for some, did not go far enough.
“Violence, chaos, and apparent loss of life in Charlottesville is not the fault of ‘many sides.’ It is racists and white supremacists,” Virginia’s attorney general, Mark Herring, tweeted.
Meanwhile, other prominent members of the Republican party directly referenced white supremacy in their responses to the violence in Charlottesville. Here’s what they have said.
Arizona Sen. John McCain
After a car plowed into a crowd in Charlottesville, killing at least one person and injuring many more, McCain released the following statement:
“Our Founders fought a revolution for the idea that all men are created equal. The heirs of that revolution fought a Civil War to save our nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to that revolutionary proposition.
“Nothing less is at stake on the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, where a violent attack has taken at least one American life and injured many others in a confrontation between our better angels and our worst demons.
“White supremacists and neo-Nazis are, by definition, opposed to American patriotism and the ideals that define us as a people and make our nation special.
“As we mourn the tragedy that has occurred in Charlottesville, American patriots of all colors and creeds must come together to defy those who raise the flag of hatred and bigotry.”
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
“The white supremacists and their bigotry do not represent our great country,” Bush wrote on Twitter. “All Americans should condemn this vile hatred. #Charlottesville.”
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
“Nothing patriotic about #Nazis, the #KKK or #WhiteSupremacists,” Rubio tweeted. “It’s the direct opposite of what #America seeks to be. #Charlottesville.”
Later, the Florida senator referred to the fatal car crash as “a terror attack by #whitesupremacists.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
“We reject the racism and violence of white nationalists like the ones acting out in Charlottesville,” the New Jersey governor tweeted. “Everyone in leadership must speak out.”
Alabama Rep. Martha Roby
“Appalled by the unspeakable bigotry and violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville,” Roby tweeted. “This hatred is un-American and cannot be tolerated.”
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley
“What ‘White Nationalist[s]’ are doing in Charlottesville is homegrown terrorism that can’t be tolerated anymore [than] what any extremist does,” Grassley tweeted.
Virginia Rep. Dave Brat
In his initial response to the violence in Charlottesville, Brat said that “any group or individual that believes in racial superiority runs completely counter to the Gospel and rule of law in our country and is to be condemned.”
Brat clarified his initial statement in a follow-up tweet. “To be clear, I reject Nazi white supremacists, the KKK and fascism,” he wrote.
Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner
“Mr. President — we must call evil by its name,” Gardner tweeted. “These were white supremacists and this was domestic terrorism.”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
“The Nazis, the KKK and white supremacists are repulsive and evil, and all of us have a moral obligation to speak out against the lies, bigotry, anti-Semitism and hatred that they propagate,” Cruz said in a statement Saturday evening.
“Having watched the horrifying video of the car deliberately crashing into a crowd of protesters, I urge the Department of Justice to immediately investigate and prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism,” the statement continued.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich
“There is no place in America for this violence and vicious hatred coming from white nationalist, KKK and neo-Nazi groups,” Kashich tweeted.
Aug. 13, 2017, 8:41 a.m.: This story has been updated.
