Posted on 08/15/2017 3:41:42 PM PDT by familyop
Aug. 15 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his initial response that "many sides" were involved in the violent confrontation between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va.
"You had a group on one side that was mad, and you had a group on the other side that was violent," Trump told reports at Trump Tower in New York. "Nobody wants to say that, but I'll say that."
He noted it was a "fine statement" Saturday even though Republicans and Democrats criticized him for not specifically condemning those who staged the demonstration in the city.
Trump said he didn't single out who to blame shortly after the violence that led to one woman killed and 19 others hurt "because I didn't know all the facts."
"I wanted to make sure, unlike most politicians, that what I said was correct," Trump said.
"There was no way of making a correct statement that early," Trump said. "I had to see the facts. Unlike a lot of reporters -- I didn't know [white supremacist] David Duke was there. I wanted to see the facts."
On Monday, he was specific, saying in a statement "racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs -- including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans."
On Tuesday, he returned to condemnation of "many sides."
He said counter-protesters played a part in the "horrible day" and were not being scrutinized enough.
"What about the 'alt-left' that came charging at, as you say, the 'alt-right'? Do they have any semblance of guilt?" Trump said. "They came charging with clubs in their hands."
He said many of the protesters who joined the white nationalists were innocent and blamed the media for dishonestly covering the confrontation.
Trump defended those who gathered to protest the removal of a statue honoring Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy.
"Was George Washington a slave owner. So will George Washington lose his status?" he said. "What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? Do you like him? ... You're changing history. You're changing culture."
During the protest, a car rammed into the crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The driver, James Alex Fields, Jr., was charged with second-degree murder in the incident.
"The driver of the car is a disgrace to himself, his family and his country," Trump said. "You can call it terrorism; you can call it murder. You can call it whatever you want."
During his appearance with the media, Trump also was asked about the status of his chief strategist Steve Bannon, who has been aligned with the alt-right as the former head of Breitbart News
"We'll see what happens with Mr. Bannon," Trump said at a news conference on infrastructure at Trump Tower in New York City. "I like him. He is a good man. He is not a racist. I can tell you that. He is a good person."
What a wonderful president we elected. He is so great!!
Facts are a pesky burden shouldered by the very strong few.
And he was spot-on, and the moron media just keeps enraged.
Perfect.
From what I can tell, the Right had a permit for their demonstration and the Delusional Lying Left and their AntiFa thugs illegally disrupted things and the Leftist VA Governor and and Mayor went along with the illegality.
From what I can tell the Left should take ALL the blame for this fiasco.
Speaking the truth to this media is like throwing holy water on a vampire.
Big Media can’t handle the TRUTH! Proud of you Pres Trump!
Best President EVER!!!!
But hopefully he understands that you will never say the “right thing” to get people who are determined to destroy you off of your back. He can only go to radio silence, be glad that he has a saavy media man like Bannon on his side, and control the narrative by talking about what he wants out there, and to smother any story he does not.
Hey UPI, why not an expose of the “Vice Mayor” of Charlottesville? How about reprints of his tweets and statements?
Why not an investigation into the police conduct? And who was supposed to be in charge?
Why not report on what happened with Fields immediately before? Was he threatened? Was he mobbed?
Ask why he didn’t run onto the sidewalk if he wanted to kill people intentionally?
Do your FN JOBS for a change and ask, investigate, rather than show your childish group=think mentality? What’s wrong, afraid Soros will run out of money
?
This press conference was great. This story doesn’t do it justice.
I wish I could say it was unbelievable, but it was all too predictable of the dishonest press - listening to them during that press conference acting all shocked, incredulous, pretending to be bewildered at the suggestion that Antifa was a violent hate group as the President was - very accurately - describing them. They were either literally doing an acting job and thereby lying to their viewers, or they are incredibly stupid if they truly did not know what Antifa is.
Actually according the local paper a few days before the march, both sides had permits. But both sides came looking for trouble. Both sides wanted trouble. Both sides got what they wanted. Both sides deserve blame. The President is exactly correct on that.
The funny thing about this is that half the ANTIFA rioters were CIA undercover guys and half the WHITE SUPREMACISTS were FBI undercover guys.
The PTB wanted to "teach the alt-right a lesson," and they did.
Hmmm. May want to check that and I will too.
The reports I saw were that this Leftist thing had no permit.
I don’t see an equivalency here as the Left tries to make it out. The Left is the aggressor in almost every circumstance. The Right is learning to take a stand for what they believe and the Left hates it and relentlessly attacks them as here from what I can tell.
what a crock...funded by George Soros, CPA, Antifa groups like the thugs being paid to "give up their freedom...and that of their neighbors, children and grandchildren.....history repeating its self....Pray that President Trump is strong enough to stop the bleeding of this nation by hateful saboteurs and traitors...
Thanks for posting this.
Amazing that a CIA plant has video and snagged a major m diva interview, but Virginia is sitting on their videos showing the police removing those barricades and shoving those people into the Antifas.
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