White House chief economic adviser Gary Cohn said he has come "under enormous pressure" to both resign and stay in the wake of Charlottesville, saying the Trump administration "can and must do better" condemning hate groups.
In a Q&A with the Financial Times on Thursday, Cohn said he did not want to cede his position as a key member of President Donald Trump's administration because of white supremacists.
But that doesn't mean he's been quiet on the issue.
"Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK," Cohn told the Times. "I believe 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.
"As a Jewish American, I will not allow neo-Nazis ranting 'Jews will not replace us' to cause this Jew to leave his job. I feel deep empathy for all who have been targeted by these hate groups. We must all unite together against them," Cohn told the Times.
Regardless, the president's tepid and vacillating response to what happened in Charlottesville has posed a very real dilemma for Cohn.
"I have come under enormous pressure both to resign and to remain in my current position," Cohn told the Times. "I have had numerous private conversations with the president on this topic — I have not been bashful saying what I think."