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<\/a>Carrying tiki torches while marching on Friday night through the UVA campus, where the Lee statue was located, the neo-Nazi horde chanted \u201cYou will not replace us,\u201d and \u201cJews will not replace us\u201d and \u201cblood and soil,\u201d a reference to the 1930s German Nazi movement\u2019s quest for racial purity.<\/p>\nCountering the message of hate were scores of people of all colors, creeds, religions, orientations and nationalities, spreading a message of inclusion and acceptance. Included among the counter-protesters were members of the Antifa (short for anti-fascists) movement, who have been prone to occasional violent outbursts of their own while protesting white supremacists and police brutality against minorities.<\/p>\n
There were a handful of skirmishes, including a group of white supremacists that severely beat a black man<\/a>. One white nationalist pulled out a handgun, cocked it, and aimed it at a black man\u2019s head before realizing he had the safety on, then proceeded to fire a shot into a crowd of counter-protesters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when 20-year-old white supremacist James Alex Fields drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, striking Heyer and dozens of others.<\/p>\n The response to such events would seem to be rather easy: condemnation for the hate mongers who brought this scourge to Charlottesville in the first place.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no place for the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists in civil society. They do not represent the values upon which our nation was founded,\u201d or something along those lines, would seem to be the type of statement our leaders would be expected to make.<\/p>\n For President Donald Trump, apparently it was not so easy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe condemn in the strongest possible terms the egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides, on many sides,\u201d he said, equating counter-protesters with the white supremacists.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s statements drew strong rebukes from both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n Scott Peters (D-52)<\/strong> called on Congress to censure Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hatred and violence we saw erupt in Charlottesville does not reflect who we are as a country,\u201d Peters said in a press statement<\/a>. \u201cThere is only one side: the one of respect, justice, and kindness. The hateful, malicious tone set by Donald Trump \u2014 from his campaign, to his presidency, to his tweets \u2014 is only dividing us as a country. It shouldn\u2019t take an act of Congress or public shaming for President Trump to know he\u2019s on the wrong side.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMany sides? This is about one side emboldened by Trump\u2019s hateful rhetoric. Must keep standing against violence and bigotry,\u201d escribi\u00f3 Susan Davis (D-53)<\/strong> on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Darrell Issa (R-49)<\/strong> called for a congressional inquiry<\/a> into the impact of white supremacist groups on civil rights.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a duty to more fully understand what led to these terrible events and the persistence of these hateful, extremist ideologies,\u201d Issa wrote in a letter to House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte, requesting the hearings. \u201cWhile Congress cannot legislate respect, decency, or acceptance of others, we have an obligation to use our platform to lead our country forward on these matters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c@POTUS\u2019 remarks on #Charlottesville are horribly offensive. By failing to condemn white supremacists, he emboldens their racist mission,\u201d tweeted Juan Vargas (D-51)<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Noticeably silent on the matter was Duncan Hunter (R-50). <\/strong>Hunter has been, and apparently remains, one of Trump\u2019s most ardent supporters.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just like he is on TV,\u201d Hunter told a gathering of the Riverside County Young Republicans<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s an asshole, but he\u2019s our asshole.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hunter\u2019s legal troubles continue to mount, as FBI agents, armed with a federal search warrant, raided the Virginia offices of his campaign\u2019s treasurer. Agents seized several computer hard drives, laptops, tablets and iPads, as well as bills and disbursement records from Election CFO<\/a>, an Alexandria, Virginia-based company whose slogan is \u201cWe do compliance so you can do politics.\u201d<\/p>\n The warrant and subsequent raid marked an escalation in the investigation of multiple alleged violations of campaign finance laws. Hunter was forced to repay in excess of $62,000 after it was discovered that he used campaign funds for personal expenses, including air transportation for his pet rabbit, his children\u2019s private school tuition, and personal vacation expenses in Italy and Arizona, among other expenditures.<\/p>\n President Trump signed the Forever G.I. Bill<\/a> into law in August. The bill, which provides funding for veterans to help them attain a college education, eliminates the 15-year availability limit, allowing access to the funds at any time after their separation from the military.<\/p>\n The law contains language written by Peters that makes all Purple Heart recipients eligible for full funding. Previously, only Purple Heart recipients who had served for at least three years were eligible for the full G.I. Bill.<\/p>\n