Bernie Sanders: Trump’s Charlottesville comments ‘embarrassing’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday slammed President Trump’s claim that both sides were to blame for violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., calling those remarks “embarrassing.”

Sanders said Trump was “embarrassing our country and the millions of Americans who fought and died to defeat Nazism,” in a tweet.

.@realDonaldTrump, you are embarrassing our country and the millions of Americans who fought and died to defeat Nazism.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) August 15, 2017

Trump in a press conference on Tuesday doubled down on his claim that there was “blame on both sides” for the deadly violence in Charlottesville.

White supremacists held a rally there over the weekend. And on Saturday, a man allegedly drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring 19 others.

Trump said the “alt-left” was as responsible for the violence, claiming they attacked protesters who had a permit to gather.

A number of left-wing groups identifying as “antifa” or “anti-fascists” protested the “Unite the Right” rally held by white nationalists. 

Sanders in another tweet said the violence “was not caused by the ‘alt-left,’ ” and that the blame lay solely with “Neo-Nazis and white supremacists.” 

The violence in Charlottesville was not caused by the “alt-left,” (whatever that may be). It was caused by Neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) August 15, 2017

Trump’s comments Tuesday drew criticism from lawmakers of both parties. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) tweeted “We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive.” 

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

— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) August 15, 2017