Charlottesville Democratic mayor Michael Signer said Sunday that President Donald Trump had emboldened organized racists who caused the racially charged violence in his city over the weekend.
White supremacist demonstrators clashed with counterprotesters in the Virginia city on Saturday, with the violence culminating with a man ramming a car through a group of counterprotesters. Authorities said the attack injured 19 and killed one.
In a statement responding to the deadly attack, Trump blamed «many sides.»
On the same program, White House Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert defended Trump’s remarks, saying the President’s statement did not equivocate the white supremacists with the counterprotesters.
Bossert blamed «both sides» for Saturday’s violence, while also saying the White House was «absolutely» against white supremacists.
«I’m sure there were good people in the groups that had various opinions on the removal or maintenance of the statue, » Bossert said. «But what they found when they showed up were groups from outside that showed up on both sides, looking for trouble, dressed in riot gear, prepared for violence.»
Bossert added that both he and Trump wanted the attacker to face «swift justice» and noted the Department of Justice was pursuing a civil rights investigation.
«This individual should face swift justice, » Bossesrt said. «The President of the United States shares that view. I know he does.»
«These groups showed up spewing hate, » Bossert said. «These groups showed up looking for violence.»
Asked what groups he was referring to, Bossert replied, «I refer to the groups that clashed yesterday.»
Pressed again on the President’s position towards the white supremacists, Bossert offered a condemnation of hate groups.
«I condemn white supremacists and racists and white Nazi groups and all the other groups that espouse this kind of hatred, » Bossert said.
