Trump will sign resolution urging action on white supremacists: White House

ByBENJAMIN SIEGEL ABCNews logo
Wednesday, September 13, 2017

The White House signaled that President Donald Trump plans to sign a joint resolution passed by Congress Tuesday condemning white supremacists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members in the wake of violence sparked by a white nationalist rally last month in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"[The president] looks forward to [signing it] as soon as he receives it," said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders Wednesday.

Sanders added that Trump continues to stand by his response to Charlottesville -- in which he said "both sides" share blame -- even following a month's worth of pushback from his own party and even members of his Cabinet.

"The president was clear in his initial statement that he condemned hatred, bigotry, racism of all forms," Sanders said. "He continues to stick to that message. He's been very consistent in that fact."

The House on Tuesday unanimously approved the bipartisan resolution from Virginia lawmakers condemning the events in Charlottesville, and pushed for Trump to commit his administration's resources to combat hate crimes.

Along with recognizing the death of Heather Heyer, the measure urges Trump to "use all available resources to address the threats posed by those groups," and describes the violence in Charlottesville in August as a "domestic terrorist attack."

It also calls on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to work with the Department of Homeland Security to "thoroughly" investigate actions taken by white supremacist groups to determine if any criminal laws were broken in Charlottesville.

The resolution was introduced by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, and Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, in the Senate, and endorsed by a bipartisan group of senators. Reps. Tom Garrett, R-Virginia, and Gerry Connolly, D-Virginia, introduced the measure in the House.

Trump has ten days to sign or veto the measure before it becomes law.

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