Chuck Todd Knocks GOP Lawmakers for Not Calling Out Trump: ‘Who’s Going to Step Up?’

Following President Donald Trump’s press conference where he blamed “both sides” for the violence in Charlottesville and came to the defense of the alt-right, many Congressional Republicans released statements that seemed critical of the president but didn’t actually call him out by name. Instead, their comments were essentially about making it known that white supremacy is bad.

At the top of MSNBC’s MTP Daily today, host Chuck Todd called out GOP lawmakers, asking who was going to come out and hold the president accountable for his comments.

“For all the Republicans who criticized the president for missing the moment on Charlottesville, this is arguably their moment and frankly the rest of the Republican Party seems paralyzed by it,” Todd noted. “They are coming to grips with the fact that Mr. Trump and his nationalist views aren’t just a stain on the party — they’re becoming a tattoo.”

The MSNBC anchor went on to highlight the statements given by Vice President Mike Pence, both former Bush presidents and the chair of the RNC, noting that they all basically said they stand with the president. He also pointed out that even one of Trump’s biggest critics in his party, Ohio Governor John Kasich, was measured in his criticism.

“I’ll tell you, how on earth is the party going to confront this crisis if it’s unwilling to stand up against the person who arguably instigated it,” Todd declared. He further stated that they had asked all 52 GOP senators and a number of other high-profile Republicans to appear on the program, with none taking up the offer.

“So who is going to step up?” he asked. “The president has lost his moral authority for now and in the process he’s tried to destroy or discredit everyone else’s. Have all of our elites lost their moral authority or are they afraid to find out that the answer might be yes?”

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

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