House Speaker Paul Ryan called on political leaders to be clear in condemning white supremacy after President Trump on Tuesday resorted to previous comments minimizing the evil of such groups.
“We must be clear,” Ryan, R-Wis., tweeted. “White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.”
We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) August 15, 2017
Democrats and Republicans blasted Trump after he insisted on Tuesday he did nothing wrong over the weekend when he declined to specifically condemn neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
Trump told reporters at Trump Tower on Tuesday “there is blame on both sides” for violent protests in Charlottesville, Va. this past weekend, reverting to his original position on the matter.
Under political pressure, Trump on Monday singled out “KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups” for condemnation, after neglecting to name the groups in his initial statement on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Trump said the media has not sufficiently criticized “alt-left” groups that also participated in the Charlottesville rally.
He said there are “fine people” on both sides, along with some “bad people.”
