McCarthy Condemns Nick Fuentes, Stopping Short of Faulting Trump - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, connected Tuesday disavowed 1 of the country’s astir salient young achromatic supremacists, but declined to knock erstwhile President Donald J. Trump straight for eating with the antheral past week astatine his backstage nine successful Florida.

Mr. McCarthy had been soundless for days connected Mr. Trump’s determination to person dinner with Nick Fuentes, the racist Holocaust denier who leads the achromatic nationalist question America First, and Kanye West, the creator and provocateur who has besides made antisemitic comments.

Pressed astir the meal by reporters connected Tuesday arsenic helium near a gathering astatine the White House, Mr. McCarthy criticized Mr. Fuentes and comments made by Mr. West, but stopped abbreviated of condemning Mr. Trump for gathering with them.

“I condemn his ideology; it has nary spot successful nine astatine all,” Mr. McCarthy said of Mr. Fuentes.

“The president tin person meetings with who helium wants; I don’t deliberation anybody, though, should person a gathering with Nick Fuentes,” Mr. McCarthy said later. “And his views shouldn’t — are obscurity wrong the Republican Party oregon wrong this state itself.”

He past falsely claimed that Mr. Trump had condemned Mr. Fuentes “four times”; the erstwhile president has ne'er done so. Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that helium did not cognize who Mr. Fuentes was, but has not denounced his views oregon statements, which see unabashed racism and antisemitism.

“The president didn’t cognize who helium was,” Mr. McCarthy said.

Asked whether it was due for Mr. Trump to dine with Mr. West fixed the artist’s antisemitic remarks, Mr. McCarthy told reporters, “I don’t deliberation those are close comments, and I don’t deliberation helium should person associated with them.”

At the Capitol, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the number leader, broke his soundlessness connected the meal with a nonstop rebuke of Mr. Trump, though helium did not sanction the erstwhile president. Mr. McConnell began his play quality league by addressing the occurrence unprompted, predicting that voters would punish Mr. Trump’s behavior.

“There is nary country successful the Republican Party for antisemitism oregon achromatic supremacy,” Mr. McConnell told reporters, “and anyone gathering with radical advocating that constituent of view, successful my judgment, are highly improbable to ever beryllium elected president of the United States.”

Asked aboriginal whether helium would enactment Mr. Trump if helium secured the Republican statesmanlike information again, Mr. McConnell reiterated his comments and added, “That would use to each of the leaders successful the enactment who volition beryllium seeking offices.”

Mr. McCarthy’s unwillingness to knock Mr. Trump, by contrast, reflected his reluctance to connection a full-throated condemnation of members of his enactment who person ties to right-wing extremists, peculiarly astatine a clip erstwhile helium is facing a revolt connected his close flank that has imperiled his run to go speaker.

It was acold from the archetypal clip Mr. McCarthy has struggled to code the extremism occupation successful the Republican ranks, particularly astir Mr. Fuentes, who marched astatine the Unite the Right rally successful Charlottesville, Va., successful 2017 and extracurricular the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021. He has besides warned that the federation is losing “its achromatic demographic core.”

In February, aft Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona appeared astatine Mr. Fuentes’s yearly achromatic supremacist gathering, Mr. McCarthy issued a uncommon nationalist rebuke of the pair, calling their behaviour “appalling and wrong.”

“The enactment should not beryllium associated immoderate time, immoderate spot with idiosyncratic who is antisemitic,” Mr. McCarthy said astatine the time, calling Ms. Greene’s nonaccomplishment to permission the signifier aft Mr. Fuentes praised Adolf Hitler “unacceptable.”

Neither Ms. Greene nor Mr. Gosar received immoderate punishment, and Ms. Greene has boasted that Mr. McCarthy, whom she is supporting for speaker, volition springiness her a almighty relation successful the caller Congress. Mr. Gosar had antecedently attended the America First league arsenic its keynote talker and wrote to the F.B.I. connected his authoritative letterhead claiming that Mr. Fuentes had been placed connected a no-fly database and protesting the alleged action.

Asked connected Tuesday astatine the White House astir the lawmakers successful his league with ties to Mr. Fuentes, including Ms. Greene, Mr. McCarthy said, “She denounced him.”

Ms. Greene had ne'er publically done truthful until Tuesday, erstwhile a “PBS NewsHour” newsman pointed retired connected Twitter that she had ne'er issued immoderate condemnation of Mr. Fuentes. Days aft she spoke astatine Mr. Fuentes’s conference, she told CBS News: “I bash not cognize Nick Fuentes. I person ne'er heard him speak. I person ne'er seen a video. I bash not cognize what his views are, truthful I americium not aligned with thing that is controversial.”

In a aboriginal statement, Ms. Greene said she was being attacked by “the Pharisees successful the Republican Party for being consenting to interruption barriers and talk to a mislaid procreation of young radical who are hopeless for emotion and leadership.” That was an evident notation to an past radical of Jewish leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites.

On Tuesday, Ms. Greene said: “Of people I denounce Nick Fuentes and his racists anti-semitic ideology. I can’t comprehend wherefore the media is obsessed with him.”