‘They are adherents of an evil ideology’: Republican lawmakers slam Trump for blaming ‘both sides’ for the violence in Charlottesville

Republican lawmakers blasted President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon following a wild press conference where Trump doubled down on his claim that the violence at the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally was caused by “many sides” (emphasis ours).

“The organizers of events which inspired & led to #charlottesvilleterroristattack are 100% to blame for a number of reasons,” Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted.

The rally was initially organized to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Civil War general, but quickly grew into a confrontation between the alt-right and “antifa” or anti-fascist groups.

“They are adherents of an evil ideology which argues certain people are inferior because of race, ethnicity or nation of origin,” Rubio added. “When entire movement built on anger & hatred towards people different than you, it justifies & ultimately leads to violence against them.”

The Florida senator was specifically referring to the white nationalist groups that organized the protest in Charlottesville on Friday and Saturday. The violence left one counter-protester dead, and many injured.

“These groups today use SAME symbols & same arguments of #Nazi & #KKK, groups responsible for some of worst crimes against humanity ever,” Rubio continued. “Mr. President, you can’t allow #WhiteSupremacists to share only part of blame. They support idea which cost nation & world so much pain.”

“The #WhiteSupremacy groups will see being assigned only 50% of blame as a win.We can not allow this old evil to be resurrected,” Rubio added.

Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, backed up Rubio’s statement.

“We must be clear,” Ryan tweeted. “White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.”

House GOP Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in his own statement: “Saturday’s violence and tragic loss of life was a direct consequence of the hateful rhetoric & action from white supremacists demonstrating. Race-based supremacy movements have no place in our melting pot culture. #Charlottesville.”

McCarthy said the violence in Charlottesville does not reflect the principles “enshrined in our Constitution that treats and respects every American equally.”

Many of the tweets from GOP lawmakers were retweeted by the Senate Republicans’ official account on Tuesday.

“We should call evil by its name,” Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, said. “My brother didn’t give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home.”

Hatch further tweeted an image of the alt-right protestors surrounding the statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville with the caption: “We should never hesitate to call out hate. Whenever and wherever we see it.”

Mitt Romney, the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, said of Trump’s equivocations about white supremacist groups and counterprotesters: “No, not the same. One side is racist, bigoted, Nazi. The other opposes racism and bigotry. Morally different universes.”

“This is simple: we must condemn and marginalize white supremacist groups, not encourage and embolden them,” Todd Young, the Indiana Republican, said.

“There is no moral equivalency to Nazi sympathizers,” Gov. John Kasich, an Ohio Republican and Trump’s opponent in the 2016 primary said. “There can be no room in America – or the Republican Party – for racism, anti-Semitism, hate or white nationalism. Period.”

“The violence in Charlottesville was caused by racists & hate groups,” Sen. Susan Collins said. “We must unite against them.”

Tim Scott, the only Black Republican serving in the Senate, tweeted out an op-ed he wrote for USA Today on Monday following the events in Charlottesville.

“This weekend’s events involving white supremacist groups are as disturbing and disgusting as they are heartbreaking,” Scott wrote. “The attack was a stark reminder of the darkness of hate.”

“We must come together, as we have before, to confront the issues that chip away at the very foundation of who we are and what we stand for as a country.”

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

New Jersey GOP Rep. Leonard Lance tweeted, “Mr. President, there is only one side: AGAINST white supremacists, neo-Nazis, anti-Semites & the KKK. They have no place in America or GOP.”

“‘Very fine people’ do not participate in rallies with groups chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans and displaying vile symbols of hate,” Rep. Justin Amash, the Michigan Republican said.

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