Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has no plans to call a hearing focused on the events in Charlottesville. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP GOP chairmen resist hearings on white supremacy

Days after neo-Nazis and white nationalists led a deadly march through Charlottesville — and are beginning to organize again — Republican leaders in Congress appear to be in no hurry to tackle the issue beyond statements of condemnation.

Many GOP lawmakers called Saturday’s march and the killing of a 32-year-old woman an act of “domestic terrorism.” And dozens of members took issue Tuesday with President Donald Trump's claim that "both sides" were to blame for violence.


But there was little urgency for congressional action among committee leaders and top GOP brass.

Despite House Democrats' calls for hearings on the rise of white supremacy, the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Department of Justice’s handling of domestic terrorism, has no immediate plans to schedule one, aides say. The House Homeland Security Committee is lumping the issue into an annual “global threats” hearing scheduled sometime in September. And while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has suggested hearings in the Senate, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has no plans to call for one focused on the events in Charlottesville.

GOP leaders, meanwhile, aren’t leaning on their allies to hold public sessions or launch inquiries. Speaker Paul Ryan’s office deferred questions on potential congressional action to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and would not say whether the speaker believes action is warranted. McCarthy has been out of the country but intends to discuss the matter with panel chairmen. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office indicated that it’s up to individual committee chairs to set their own hearing schedule.

In the meantime, Democrats are beginning to seize on inaction to squeeze their GOP counterparts. They're trying to put more daylight between congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump, who’s been widely criticized over his response to the Charlottesville riot.

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“It’s important that Congress represent the people of the United States, especially when the executive [branch] refuses to deal with … or actively empowers racist or neo-Nazi groups,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee.

Nadler says Democrats’ request for a greater focus on domestic extremism have been rebuffed for months. Committee Democrats say they've reached out to Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) for action but so far have yet to reach agreement.

"The committee doesn't have a hearing planned at this time," said a Judiciary Committee aide.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) has requested details about the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice’s programs targeting extremism, amid reports that the Trump administration has de-emphasized resources for combating domestic threats in favor of a focus on foreign terrorism.

To be sure, many Republicans were quick to issue forceful statements of condemnation for white supremacists after Saturday’s events, an effort that took on more urgency after Trump initially refused to do so over the weekend.

"White supremacy is a scourge," said Ryan. "This hate and its terrorism must be confronted and defeated."

Goodlatte said that “racists and anti-Semitic views embraced by white supremacists have no place in our nation.”

Though he delivered a forceful condemnation of neo-Nazis and white supremacists on Monday, Trump appeared to compound his problem Tuesday during an impromptu news conference. He argued that his initial statement on the Charlottesville march was "excellent" and that there were "two sides" to the violence that erupted over the weekend. He also wondered whether George Washington and Thomas Jefferson monuments would be next to come down, since they were slaveowners.

"This week it's Robert E. Lee," he said in the lobby of Trump Tower. "I noticed that Stonewall Jackson's coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week?"

Those comments once again rattled Congress, and many Republicans took to TV and Twitter to blast Trump for what they deemed "moral equivalency."

With the exception of Graham, however, Hill Republicans’ actions have stopped at their statements.

GOP sources suggested it might be too early to tell whether Congress should get involved. And some question what tangible action Congress could take to help the situation, aside from calling public attention to the issue through hearings.

Lawmakers are scattered across the country during the congressional recess and have not had a chance to discuss it together. Republicans have, however, encouraged the Justice Department to investigate the Charlottesville tragedy and hold accountable the perpetrator who rammed counter-protesters.

A Grassley aide also noted that the Senate committee just a few months ago held a hearing on hate crimes and hate groups, where experts testified about civil rights cases.

"Attorney General Sessions took swift and decisive action condemning the disgusting and deplorable acts of violence in Charlottesville, announcing a federal investigation over the weekend," a Grassley aide said. "Chairman Grassley plans to hold his regular Justice Department oversight hearing early this fall, and senators will be able to discuss this situation and the department’s response at that hearing."

Not good enough, Democrats say. Congress has more than just the power to legislate; it has a far-reaching bully pulpit. And Democrats say Congress should use it to shame racism and highlight violence as domestic terrorism.

“Others think this is not an issue for Congress? I think it’s front and center for us,” said Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.).

Correa said he plans to speak with Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas) to persuade him to hold a hearing on the matter. It’s not enough, he said, to simply talk about it for a few minutes as part of a massive “global threats” hearing that’s traditionally scheduled for right after recess.

After Saturday’s violent outburst, Democrats don’t plan to let the issue drop — particularly amid evidence that the Charlottesville rally may be the first in a series of actions by white supremacists seeking to draw attention to their cause.

As cities evaluate whether to remove monuments to Confederate soldiers, each has the potential to be a new venue for protest. Reports Tuesday suggested that a white nationalist group had secured rally space in San Francisco.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned that it could become another violent scene and wondered whether the National Park Service was equipped to police the rally, which is slated to be held in a federal park. She also wondered what role the White House might have played in approving the event.

Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus also called on Trump to fire three administration officials whom critics have accused of being sympathetic to white nationalists: senior strategist Steve Bannon, policy adviser Stephen Miller and counterterrorism adviser Sebastian Gorka. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) separately filed a resolution calling on the White House to fire any white nationalists in the administration.

"As leaders of the legislative branch of government, we must stand up to all ideologically motivated violence," said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). "Failure to act as innocent people continue to be terrorized, harmed, and killed by domestic terrorists puts American lives in peril."

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