Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke to ABC News’ David Muir on “Good Morning America” today to speak on the Department of Justice’s investigation into the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. In his interview, Sessions said that the incident in which a driver rammed a car through a crowd of protesters, killing a young woman and injuring 19 others, does indeed fall under domestic terrorism as defined by U.S. law.
“It does meet the definition of domestic terrorism in our statute. We are pursuing it in the [Department of Justice] in every way that we can make a case…You can be sure we will charge and advance the investigation towards the most serious charges that can be brought, because this is unequivocally an unacceptable, evil attack. Terrorism investigators from the FBI are working on the case as well as civil rights division FBI agents.”
The brutal incident occurred as a result of Charlottesville authorities calling off a planned white nationalist rally after violence erupted between different sets of protesters. President Trump took criticism for condemning “violence on both sides,” a statement that some said attempted to equivocate the white nationalists and their counter-protesters. However, Sessions defended Trump’s words on GMA saying that Trump “explicitly condemned the kind of ideology behind these movements of Nazism, white supremacy, the KKK. That is his unequivocal position, he totally opposes those kind of values.”
Trump echoed these words in a press conference Monday, calling these same groups “repugnant.” The President addressed the nation shortly after meeting with Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Sessions isn’t the only Alabama law maker to weigh in on the horrendous violence. Senator and candidate Luther Strange took to Twitter saying, “There is no excuse for the violence and hatred in Charlottesville today. It should be condemned by all. Pray for victims and our nation.” Representative Martha Roby condemned the violence taking place: “Appalled by the unspeakable bigotry and violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville. This hatred is un-American and cannot be tolerated.” Secretary of State John Merrill also weighed in, posting a link to the late Glen Campbell’s song “Try a Little Kindness.”
