Following the horrific events over the weekend in Charlottesville, including the death of Heather Heyer at the hands of a domestic terrorist with neo-Nazi leanings, President Donald Trump today doubled down on his statements placing blame “on both sides.”

STATEMENT: Dr. Northam: Trump’s Defense of White Supremacists A “Dereliction of Duty”

Richmond, Va. – Following the horrific events over the weekend in Charlottesville, including the death of Heather Heyer at the hands of a domestic terrorist with neo-Nazi leanings, President Donald Trump today doubled down on his statements placing blame “on both sides.”

Dr. Ralph Northam today issued the following statement in response to the president’s refusal to condemn white supremacists and other hate groups for the events in Charlottesville:

“The President of the United States today defended white supremacists rather than condemning them. This is a dereliction of duty to defend Americans against a hateful and evil ideology.

“When white supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on our beautiful city of Charlottesville this weekend, they came with evil, hatred, and bigotry in their hearts and an intention to do harm on their minds. And one of these people took Heather Heyer’s life in an act of domestic terrorism.

“Leaders from across the political spectrum have spoken clearly and definitively against this disgusting ideology. Donald Trump has dispensed with a wink and a nod, and is openly defending white nationalists. The time for silence is over. I am asking Ed Gillespie and the rest of his party what it will take to denounce Donald Trump.”