Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin on Wednesday condemned the actions of neo-Nazis and white nationalists who took part in violent protests over the weekend, calling them an "affront to American ideals."
"It is a dishonor to our country's veterans to allow the Nazis and the white supremacists to go unchallenged," Shulkin said during a news conference in Bedminster, New Jersey. "And I am strongly against them, and I believe that we have to all speak up as Americans."
Asked by members of the press whether he was speaking for his boss, President Donald Trump, Shulkin said, "I think the president has done a good job of speaking for himself."
Trump has come under fire for blaming "all sides" in the incident Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. One counter-protester was killed when a car driven by an alt-right rally attendee slammed into her and others.
After two days of comments from the left and right, Trump on Monday clarified his remarks, saying, "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."
Trump, Shulkin said, has "made clear his comments. He's denounced bigotry, hatred, violence, Nazis, white supremacists, and I think that he can speak for himself."
Still, he said, "as a Jewish American . . . we know that staying silent on these issues is simply not acceptable."
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