'Blame on both sides'
US President Donald Trump sparked another political firestorm Tuesday when he doubled down on his initial response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that ended in bloodshed, saying there was "blame on both sides."
The Republican president -- who one day ago solemnly denounced racism and singled out the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis as "criminals and thugs" -- also hit out at what he called the "alt-left" over the weekend melee.
Trump has faced days of criticism from across the political spectrum over his reaction to Saturday's unrest in the Virginia college town, where a rally by neo-Nazis and white supremacists over the removal of a Confederate statue erupted in clashes with counter-demonstrators.
The violent fracas ended in bloodshed when a 20-year-old suspected Nazi sympathizer, James Fields, plowed his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters, leaving one woman dead and 19 others injured.
"I think there is blame on both sides," Trump said in a rowdy exchange with journalists at Trump Tower in New York.
"You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I'll say it right now. …There are two sides to a story," Trump continued.
Trump's fellow Republicans were quick to distance themselves from his remarks.
"We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive," Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote on Twitter. "This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity."
Former US leaders George HW Bush and George W Bush also issued a tough joint statement condemning racial bigotry and anti-Semitism, in a veiled rebuke of Trump.
In a statement issued from Kennebunkport, Maine, where they have a family home, the father-son former presidents said "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms."
The joint statement did not mention Trump by name.
And the condemnations also spilled beyond the political realm.
NBA superstar LeBron James tweeted: "Hate has always existed in America. Yes we know that but Donald Trump just made it fashionable again!"
Even the US military command, which usually stays out of the political fray, condemned the violence.
General Mark Milley, who is chief of staff of the Army, took to Twitter yesterday to reinforce his service's values.
"The Army doesn't tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks. It's against our Values and everything we've stood for since 1775," Milley wrote.
Marine Commandant General Robert Neller, Navy chief Admiral John Richardson and Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein also condemned the attack.
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