Congressman Steve Cohen’s Statement on the One Year Anniversary of the Charlottesville Hate March

On the anniversary of the Charlottesville hate march, planned and carried out by a cabal of hate groups including Klansmen and Neo-Nazis, I call upon Americans to reflect upon the tragic loss of life and the deplorable words and actions of the white supremacists and nationalists, countered by passionate Americans standing for love, tolerance, hope, and kindness.

As I watched Spike Lee's "The Black Klansman" last night, I thought back on that event and President Donald Trump's insistence that there were "very fine people on both sides" that day.

There were not very fine people on both sides. Those groups, with their hatred of African-Americans, Jews, Hispanic people, and immigrants, represent the antithesis of American values.

The president's paean to hate groups, the absolute low point thus far in the history of the American Presidency, inspired me to author and introduce H. Res. 621 calling for the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump.

I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Heather Heyer and I hope that we can have peaceful activities both in Charlottesville, and in Washington, D.C.