Jeff Sessions defends Trump position on Charlottesville violence

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption WH clarifies statement on Charlottesville violence The White House released a statement Sunday clarifying what President Trump meant regarding the Charlottesville, Virginia violence.

Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions on Monday defended President Trump's statement on the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Va., and said he expects Trump to discuss the issue again "soon."

A white nationalist rally in the city turned violent Saturday when a counter-protester was killed and more than a dozen injured. Hours later, Trump condemned the violence but drew criticism for blaming "many sides."

The Justice Department is investigating the death, and Sessions made the rounds of the morning news shows Monday assuring TV audiences that Trump blames white nationalists for the violence.

"He said what happened in Charlottesville is unacceptable, we need to find out what happened, that it’s wrong, and we need to study it and see what as a nation we can do to be more effective against this extremism, and evil, really," Sessions said the NBC's Today show. "I thought it was a good statement, delivered a few hours after the event."

Sessions said the White House issued a statement Sunday that "explicitly called out the Nazis and KKK by name.”

On CBS This Morning, Sessions said the direction he has received from the White House is not to tolerate "this kind of hatred and violence."

"We will not allow these extremists groups to obtain credibility," he said. "Morally, legally they are unjustified in their actions and their approach to American democracy."

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