Mitch Perry
Rick Scott is set to sit down to lunch with President Trump this afternoon at the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Gwen Graham says there’s no better time for him to do what he has declined to do all week — criticize the president for his remarks last weekend equating white nationalist hate groups with the protesters opposing them in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“Public officials from coast to coast — both Democrats, and even some Republicans — have condemned Donald Trump’s outrageous remarks on the violence in Charlottesville, but there’s at least one glaring exception: Florida Governor Rick Scott, who has remained deafeningly silent,” the Democratic gubernatorial candidate said in a statement Thursday. “Silence is unacceptable in the face of a president who called white supremacists and neo-Nazis ‘very fine people’ and claimed ‘all sides’ were responsible for the violence that left three people dead.”
Scott and Trump are friends, and the governor had notably declined to address Trump’s controversial comments this week when he defended the white nationalists who demonstrated in Virginia and said they included “some very fine people.”
Trump laid some of the blame for the violence that broke out at the feet of “alt-left” counter-protesters; he also equated the Confederate General Robert E. Lee with America’s Founding Fathers. Florida Republicans like Marco Rubio, Carlos Curbelo and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have called out the president directly for the comments, but Scott has remained notably silent.
“You can ask President Trump what he said,” Scott told reporters Wednesday when asked his thoughts about the president’s latest comments.
The governor went on to say that there was “no moral equivalency between the two sides,” and that as a Navy veteran, he didn’t go into the military to defend neo-Nazi’s.
“I urge all political leaders at the state, local and federal level – including the president- to focus on unity,” he continued, adding, “how do we come together, how do we create more love and less hate? We’ve got to eliminate this divisiveness in this country.”
Graham says it’s time for Scott to specifically call out Trump’s comments.
“I am calling on Governor Scott to immediately denounce President Trump’s remarks and confirm that white supremacists are not welcome in Florida,” she said.
4 comments
Reid Friedson, PhD
August 17, 2017 at 9:14 am
Sign and share everywhere the People of Florida’s July 4, 2016 corrupt racketeering petition against Rick Scott and Associates. Filed with Rosenstein and Mueller at Justice and the 2017-18 Florida Constitution Revision Commission. Investigate Trump and Rick Scott’s real estate deals in Florida. Thank you to all who have instituted and continue to investigate its facts, law, and recommendations: https://www.change.org/p/people-of-the-state-of-florida-v-rick-scott-et-al
Peter Harding
August 17, 2017 at 10:57 am
Rick Scott would never try to tell Trump what to do, he is perfectly happy grovelling at Trump’s feet. Plus he fully supports whatever it is Trump wants to do, that’s what buddies do.
Tracey
August 19, 2017 at 2:44 am
Rick Scott has nothing to answer for by association with TPOTUS!
Trump denounced the bigotry and hatred right off the bat. And over the next several days has made it more clear that violence, bigotry, and hatred was a disgusting mark on our country.
What’s next? It is a resounding and sombering question…
Elizabeth
August 19, 2017 at 8:19 am
The blame should be placed on the major for telling the police to stand down! Why is noone talking about that issue. Anything the president says is not accepted by msm.
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