Sen. Casey Calls Trump's Comments On Charlottesville 'Offensive'

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A protest, which was planned for this weekend, has been postponed.

The March On Google was scheduled to take place in nine cities. However, organizers say it has been postponed because there were threats of violence.

Sen. Bob Casey was in Pittsburgh for a public forum on trade today and spoke out about recent violent protests. He also expressed his disappointment in President Donald Trump's reaction to the violent protest in Charlottesville and what this may mean for the country going forward.

He said President Trump's words, during a news conference on Tuesday about the Charlottesville protest, were disturbing.

"First of all, in a very fundamental way, they were offensive. They should be offensive to every American. I don't care who you are," Sen. Casey said. "Just when I thought he was getting the tone right and focusing on condemning it appropriately, he went back to the posture he adopted this past weekend, but it's deeply offensive."

Sen. Casey said the president's words affect the commander in chief's ability to lead.

"I think it compromises his ability to lead domestically, but also internationally. The world is looking at this president and wondering how America can stand for the values we've stood for for generations," Sen. Casey said.

Sen. Casey went on to say the president used a false equivalency to describe the protestors and counter protestors, and he needs to lead the country in the right direction.

"This is an either-or situation, you either condemn it completely, categorically and aggressively and then take steps to prevent it from spreading, or you just by your silence or your false equivalency test, allow it to grow," Sen. Casey said.