President Trump’s nominee to head the civil rights division of the Department of Justice had strong words Wednesday for neo-Nazis and white supremacists: We're coming for you.

“The bigotry and ideology of neo-Nazism, Nazism, white supremacy and the Klu Klux Klan are a disgrace to this country and should be eradicated from the United States,” Eric Dreiband said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Dreiband is nominated to be the assistant attorney general for the civil rights division.

“And if I am confirmed, anyone who perpetuates crimes or other civil rights violations that come within the jurisdiction of the civil rights division should know and they should be on notice if I’m confirmed, the civil rights division is coming for them," he continued.

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The comments come at a time of national debate over far-right groups and Confederate history sparked by deadly protests in Charlottesville, Va., during a rally organized by white supremacists that opposed the removal of a Confederate statue.



Dreiband did not falter in the hearing when Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleySenate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg What Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies Biden says Ginsburg successor should be picked by candidate who wins on Nov. 3 MORE (R-Iowa) started his line of questioning by asking Dreiband for his thoughts on the violent events in Charlottesville last month.



Trump, following the incident, inflamed critics for claiming there was “blame on both sides” for the violence at the rally. The president said at the time that he needed to "know the facts" before calling out neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan for their involvement.



Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and at least 19 people were reportedly injured when a car, allegedly driven by an Ohio man with ties to white supremacists, plowed into a crowd of people counterprotesting the rally.



Though Trump called the driver a “disgrace,” he declined to say whether the incident was an act of terrorism.



During his hearing Wednesday, Dreiband specifically named the groups and also said he was encouraged to see Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status White House officials voted by show of hands on 2018 family separations: report MORE immediately call for a civil rights investigation following the "terrible tragedy."



“If confirmed I will support it and support it vigorously,” he said.