Lawmakers Weigh in on Trump's Comments on Charlottesville

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican and Democratic lawmakers are reacting to President Donald Trump’s latest comments on the violence over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. The president said he believes “there’s blame on both sides” for what transpired.

— Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan: “We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.”

— Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona: “There’s no moral equivalency between racists & Americans standing up to defy hate & bigotry. The President of the United States should say so.”

— Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida: “Blaming ‘both sides’ for #Charlottesville?! No. Back to relativism when dealing with KKK, Nazi sympathizers, white supremacists? Just no.”

— Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio: “We must speak out clearly against the hatred, racism and white supremacists who descended upon #Charlottesville.”

— Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas: “White supremacy, bigotry & racism have absolutely no place in our society & no one – especially POTUS – should ever tolerate it.”

— Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii: “As a Jew, as an American, as a human, words cannot express my disgust and disappointment. “This is not my President.”

— Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts: “The President of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate. This is sick.”

— House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California: “There is only one side to be on when a white supremacist mob brutalizes and murders in America. The American people deserve a president who understands that.”

— Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York: “By saying he is not taking sides, Donald Trump clearly is. When David Duke and white supremacists cheer your remarks, you’re doing it very very wrong.”

— Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia: “Charlottesville violence was fueled by one side: white supremacists spreading racism, intolerance & intimidation. Those are the facts.”

— Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia: “Neo-Nazis, Klansmen and white supremacists came to Charlottesville heavily armed, spewing hatred and looking for a fight. One of them murdered a young woman in an act of domestic terrorism, and two of our finest officers were killed in a tragic accident while serving to protect this community. This was not ‘both sides.'”

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