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Richmond, Va. — Today, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker released the following statement calling on Ed Gillespie to denounce Corey Stewart’s deeply hateful reaction to the attack of terrorism in Charlottesville this weekend:
“Corey Stewart is a dangerous politician and a threat to our commonwealth’s bedrock values of openness, inclusion and equality. His reaction to this weekend’s apparent act of terrorism in Virginia was vile and indefensible, and his rhetoric is emboldening and empowering exactly the kind of racist hate we saw openly displayed in Charlottesville. He hugs the confederate flag, joins the prominent white supremacists who organized the Charlottesville rally on the campaign trail, and uses his platform to pit Virginians against one another. As the Washington Post reported, Stewart 'said white nationalists had been unfairly singled out.' At a time when Virginians have united to stand against white supremacy, Stewart has spouted racist lies that only further divide our commonwealth and poison our politics.
“Ed Gillespie must immediately condemn Stewart’s bigotry and make clear that his toxic rhetoric has no place in the Party of Lincoln. This isn’t a political question — it’s a moral issue that drives at the heart of who we are as Virginians. Over the past three days, Republicans and Democrats have strongly condemned the President’s initial refusal to denounce white supremacy. Yet Ed Gillespie has remained silent about both Stewart’s bigotry and Trump’s slow reaction to the racist violence in Charlottesville. Ed Gillespie must stop playing politics and draw a red line around Corey Stewart’s hate. If Ed Gillespie can’t stand up to Corey Stewart, how can we expect him to stand up for us?”
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