GOP Congressman Calls Out Trump For ‘Failing’ To Strongly Condemn White Supremacists

In another sign that even many in his own party cannot swallow Donald Trump’s stunning inability to condemn white supremacists, a Republican congressman called out the president on Wednesday for his “failing” response to the Charlottesville.

According to the Associated Press, Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher said, “The president needs to be crystal clear that hatred has no place in our society, but he is currently failing at it.”

Gallagher also had some advice for the white supremacists who took part in the Charlottesville rally, saying that they “could learn” a thing or two from the men and women of the U.S. military.

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Gallagher is a former Marine and freshman congressman representing northeast Wisconsin. He commented Wednesday when asked about Trump’s comments that “both sides” were to blame for violence at the white supremacists rally on Saturday.

 

Gallagher says, “The president needs to be crystal clear that hatred has no place in our society, but he is currently failing at it.”

 

Gallagher says white nationalism and racism are “antithetical to our fundamental values.”

 

He says those who took part in the rally “could learn from the young Marines of all races and creeds with whom I served in Iraq.”

The Republican’s remarks came a day after Trump didn’t just double down on his initial response to Charlottesville, blaming “two sides” for the violence there, but even going as far as defending the white nationalists demonstrating over the weekend.

“There are two sides to a story,” Trump said. “I thought what took place was a horrible moment for the country, but there are two sides to a story.”

The idea that a President of the United States is suggesting that there are two sides to an argument between alt-right Nazis and those protesting is deeply disturbing – so much so that even some Republicans can no longer defend him.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.