Mnuchin defends Trump's response to protests
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is defending President Donald Trump's response to the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, and rejecting calls from a group of his Yale University classmates that he resign from the administration in protest.
In a statement issued by the Treasury Department, Mnuchin said "the president in no way, shape or form believes that neo-Nazi and other hate groups who endorse violence are equivalent to groups that demonstrate in peaceful and lawful ways."
Mnuchin said that "as someone who is Jewish, I believe I understand the long history of violence and hatred against the Jews" and other minorities.