Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said organizers of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville were now organizing an event in Lexington, Ky. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images McConnell: 'There are no good neo-Nazis'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday “there are no good neo-Nazis” — a day after President Donald Trump said there “were very fine people on both sides” of the violent white supremacist rally this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

McConnell’s office on Tuesday said the Kentucky Republican had no new response to Trump’s news conference, even as many other congressional Republicans issued statements of condemnation. McConnell’s wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, was standing behind Trump during the news conference, which was supposed to focus on infrastructure.


“We can have no tolerance for an ideology of racial hatred,” McConnell said in a statement Wednesday. “There are no good neo-Nazis, and those who espouse their views are not supporters of American ideals and freedoms. We all have a responsibility to stand against hate and violence, wherever it raises its evil head.”

McConnell also noted that the organizers of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville were now organizing an event in Lexington, Kentucky, and said their “messages of hate and bigotry are not welcome in Kentucky and should not be welcome anywhere in America.”

Kentucky’s other senator, Republican Rand Paul, also denounced the planned rally in the state.

"Going forward, we must say to those who preach hatred — your time is over,” Paul said in a statement. “This is not who we are, and we will not stand by while you divide us.”

Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

McConnell had previously issued a statement of condemnation on Saturday but was silent on Tuesday after Trump laid the blame for the past weekend's violence on both sides, even as many of his Republican colleagues, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), spoke out.

“We must be clear,” Ryan said. “White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.”