GOP Senators Criticize Trump’s Charlottesville Comments: ‘Must Call Evil By Its Name’

President Donald Trump addressed the civil unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia in reaction to a White Nationalist protest today from is own country club, Trump National, in Bedminster, New Jersey. During his speech, Trump condemned “in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides.” Then for effect, he add “on many sides.”

Missing from this statement was any specific mention of the White Nationalists who are at the center of the unrest in Charlottesville. If you feel that the blaming of  “many sides” for violent events started by White Nationalist group seems an odd rhetorical turn, then you are not alone. Many on Twitter agree with you, and so too do some Republican Senators, namely Marco Rubio and Cory Gardner:

Mr. President – we must call evil by its name. These were white supremacists and this was domestic terrorism. https://t.co/PaPNiPPAoW

— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) August 12, 2017

Very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 12, 2017

Chuck Grassley also got in the act though in a less critical manner:

What ” WhiteNatjonalist” are doing in Charlottesville is homegrown terrorism that can’t be tolerated anymore that what Any extremist does

— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) August 12, 2017

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