Charlottesville violence: US President must do much more in condemning these groups, says top Trump aide
President Donald Trump’s top economic advisor criticised the White House on Friday for the failure to unequivocally condemn neo-Nazis and white nationalists over deadly violence this month in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Gary Cohn, head of the White House national economic council and one of the most prominent Jewish-Americans in Trump’s administration, is one of the most senior officials to weigh in following the uproar over the president’s response to the violence.
“This administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities,” Cohn told the Financial Times, without specifically naming Trump.
Cohn said he faced “tremendous pressure” to quit the administration after the president appeared to draw a moral equivalency between white nationalist demonstrators and anti- racism counter-protesters.
One woman was killed when a car driven by an avowed white supremacist plowed into a crowd of people after the rally turned violent, and numerous demonstrators were injured during the rallies on August 11 and 12.
Trump failed to single out white supremacists for their role in the bloodshed, saying there was blame “on both sides,” and that there were “very fine people” among the white supremacist protesters, who …read more
