August 13, 2017/Press Releases
Silence and defensiveness. Where are GOP leaders in the wake of Charlottesville?
Hartford, Ct. – Rather than standing up and condemning the hatred, racism, and violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Connecticut’s Republican leaders have responded with silence and defensiveness.
Rather than unequivocally condemning these events and the racists behind them, Connecticut Republicans Party Chairman J.R. Romano, in his only comment on the matter, got defensive, according to the Hartford Courant.
J.R. Romano, chair of the Connecticut Republican Party, said Saturdaynight that it’s wrong for anyone to blame Trump for what happened in Virginia.
“What happened in Charlottesville is tragic. There’s no place in this country for that racism, hate and violence. But it’s unfortunate that some use tragedy to score political points. What happened is not Donald Trump’s fault. Blaming him is wrong.”
Former GOP Chairman Chris Healy, the current top strategist for Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, was was even more distasteful, taking to Twitter to blame the “liberal” media and defend Trump.
“I truly wish I didn’t have to put out this press release, but this is shameful,” said Connecticut Democratic Party Chairman Nick Balletto. “It should not be difficult to condemn in unequivocal terms the white supremacists in Charlottesville and the violence they have perpetrated. Instead, Connecticut Republican leaders have either remained silent or been defensive about the political fallout on themselves. As Governor Malloy and Senator Murphy both said, silence, particularly from elected leaders, in the face of these disgusting events equals complicity. To that end, Connecticut Republicans have once again failed, despite the fact that many Republicans across the country have spoken up.
“Sadly, this is a pattern from the Connecticut GOP. Just last week, they fully embraced bona fide racist Michelle Malkin, who literally wrote a book defending the use of internment camps to imprison Japanese Americans during World War II and who advocates for profiling against Muslim Americans today. Democrats stand united against white supremacy and violence, and we are grateful to the Republican elected officials outside of Connecticut that are joining us. Republicans that are attempting to distract from the realities of yesterday’s events appear to be pandering to the most extreme elements of their base, and it’s unacceptable.”