Sessions: Neo-Nazis ‘attempting to legitimate themselves’

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday that white supremacist groups are using any means possible to legitimatize their movement, responding to a neo-Nazi publication praising President Trump’s remarks about the violence in Charlottesville, Va. over the weekend.

“They are simply attempting to legitimate themselves in any way possible. They are going to find out we are going to come after them for any violations of the law,” Sessions said on NBC’s “Today.”

Sessions remarks come in response to neo-Nazi publication The Daily Stormer, which praised Trump’s remarks on Charlottesville in the wake of the deadly protest on Saturday.  

“Trump’s comments were good. He didn’t attack us,” the publication said. “Nothing specific against us.”

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The publication said Trump labeled counterprotesters as “haters” when he denounced violence from “many sides.”

Sessions said Trump has in fact condemned hate groups “by name and will continue to do so.”

The head of the Justice Department also expressed hope that Americans will reject Nazism.

“And I am confident that the American people will reject this kind of evil ideology. And we need to take it seriously. Amazingly, Nazism remains alive out of all the evil it has incurred or caused in the world, so I think we take this seriously,” Sessions said. “We go at it directly, morally, legally, politically, legitimately, in any way possible to reject this kind of ideology that causes division and hatred in America. It is just not part of our heritage.”

Trump has come under fire for what some critics say was a vague denouncement of violence, which did not specifically mention the white supremacists who organized the protest.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides — on many sides. It’s been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama,” Trump said.

The rally in central Virginia took a deadly turn when 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. allegedly plowed his car into counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring scores more. Fields was arrested shortly after driving away.