Sen. Marco Rubio calls fatal attack in Charlottesville terrorism, lays 100 percent of blame on organizers

As Twitchy reported Saturday, several high-ranking Republicans emerged on social media after President Trump denounced the hatred, bigotry, and violence that he saw coming from “many sides” in Charlottesville, Va. Several of those same Republicans spoke up again on Tuesday after a follow-up statement from the president that several reporters claimed “erased” Monday’s speech and rendered it “inoperative.”

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed in Charlottesville Saturday when a man rammed his car into a crowd of protesters who had gathered in opposition to the “Unite the Right” rally, and when asked Tuesday if that was an act of terrorism, the president responded that the driver was a murder but to go further would be to get into “legal semantics.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, who was among the first to criticize the president’s statement Saturday, didn’t hesitate to call the attack terrorism in a hashtag.

The organizers of events which inspired & led to #charlottesvilleterroristattack are 100% to blame for a number of reasons. 1/6

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 15, 2017

They are adherents of an evil ideology which argues certain people are inferior because of race, ethnicity or nation of origin. 2/6

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 15, 2017

When entire movement built on anger & hatred towards people different than you,it justifies & ultimately leads to violence against them 3/6

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 15, 2017

These groups today use SAME symbols & same arguments of #Nazi & #KKK, groups responsible for some of worst crimes against humanity ever 4/6

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 15, 2017

Mr. President,you can't allow #WhiteSupremacists to share only part of blame.They support idea which cost nation & world so much pain 5/6

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 15, 2017

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The #WhiteSupremacy groups will see being assigned only 50% of blame as a win.We can not allow this old evil to be resurrected 6/6

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 15, 2017

Will Rubio again be dismissed by a “cynical” New York Times reporter as “posturing for 2020”? Probably. But that doesn’t explain the reaction of Sen. Orrin Hatch, who also criticized Saturday’s statement.

"We should never hesitate to call out hate. Whenever and wherever we see it." -OGH https://t.co/Zy2YaJwFlV #Charlottesville #utpol pic.twitter.com/Kqe8SLp70z

— Senator Hatch Office (@senorrinhatch) August 15, 2017

Seems like a good time to re-up these remarks –> https://t.co/TVQEND6gfr

— Senator Hatch Office (@senorrinhatch) August 15, 2017

I was just eight years old when my older brother Jesse was killed in World War II. As I said on Saturday, Jesse didn’t give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home. I will never hesitate to speak out against hate–whenever and wherever I see it. . In the wake of this weekend’s violence, our nation has some soul-searching to do. It is not a time to say “What about” but to seriously ask ourselves “What now? . The choice before us is stark: Either we succumb to the bigotry and tribalism which threaten to tear us apart–or we condemn evil in all its forms and determine to come together as one nation, one people, united under God. . I believe in the infinite capacity of the American people. And I believe that the unbreakable bonds of affection, which for so long have held us together as a nation, are stronger than the forces which seek to divide us. . Above all, I believe in the virtue of civility. While I have strived to demonstrate compassion, comity, and respect throughout my public service, I have, at various times, fallen short of the ideal. But today, I am recommitting myself to civility–and I hope you will join me in doing the same. . Civility requires that we approach debate and discourse with sound logic and new ideas, not with cardboard shields and tiki torches. It asks that we bear our beliefs proudly and in the open, not behind the cowardly anonymity of social media accounts. . The tragedy in Charlottesville calls for a moment of national renewal. Let us all resolve to change. Let us all commit to fighting hatred in our communities with love, empathy, and understanding.

A post shared by Senator Orrin Hatch (@senatororrinhatch) on Aug 14, 2017 at 4:17pm PDT

This is simple: we must condemn and marginalize white supremacist groups, not encourage and embolden them.

— Senator Todd Young (@SenToddYoung) August 15, 2017

We must speak out clearly against the hatred, racism and white supremacists who descended upon #Charlottesville.

— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 15, 2017

The response to this ideology of hate & bigotry, & the act of domestic terrorism, should be simple & united condemnation without ambiguity.

— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 15, 2017

What are the chances of President Trump giving a fourth statement on Charlottesville that passes muster?

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Related:

Kamala Harris: “there are not ‘many sides'”; ACLU of VA: Here’s a video of “both sides … hitting each other” https://t.co/wVWI0Do24Q

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 14, 2017