Ivanka Trump, administration mark anniversary of Charlottesville riot

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Several members of the Trump administration on Saturday noted the one-year anniversary of the riots in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended up with one woman dead and a reigniting of heated discussions about race in America.

Among those marking the anniversary was Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump and an adviser to his administration, who tweeted that there was “no place for white supremacy, racism and neo-nazism in our great country.”

She shared a string of three tweets Saturday afternoon.

Ivanka Trump encouraged her followers to “strengthen our communities” and help other “achieve his or her full potential.”

Her father was slammed last year for saying that there was “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides” in the wake of the riots, which left 32-year-old Heather Heyer dead. He then backtracked on his comments in a statement that condemned the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists. Soon after, though, he said that while there were bad people in the white supremacist group, “you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

Heyer was killed when an alleged far-right protester drove his car into a group of counterprotesters on Aug. 12, 2017.

The president tweeted earlier in the day on Saturday, saying the riots ago “resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!”

Vice President Mike Pence also took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to comment on the riots from a year ago. Thousands of protesters are expected in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, with far-right groups organizing another “Unite the Right” rally and anti-fascist groups expected to respond.

Pence shared a lengthy statement, saying, “Bigotry, racism and hatred run counter to our most cherished values and have no place in American society.”

“This weekend, Karen and I will pray for the victims of that tragic day and their families,” Pence continued, referring to his wife. “And we will also continue to pray — in these too-divided times — that Americans will come together in new and renewed ways in this one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”

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