Adviser Cohn reportedly mulled quitting over president’s Charlottesville remarks
WASHINGTON — A prominent Jewish member of President Donald Trump’s administration said that the White House “can and must do better” in consistently condemning hate groups.
The critique from Trump’s top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, came nearly two weeks after deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., in response to a rally led by white nationalist groups. Cohn, who is Jewish, seriously considered resigning and even drafted a letter of resignation, according to two people familiar with the draft.
In his first public remarks on the national dialogue about the violence, Cohn said in an interview Thursday with the Financial Times that as a “patriotic American” he did not want to leave his job as the director of the national economic council.
“But I also feel compelled to voice my distress over the events of the last two weeks,” Cohn said.
In the days after the Charlottesville rally, when Trump defended white nationalist protesters, Jewish members of the administration were mostly silent. Cohn is one of the few in the administration to publicly condemn the president’s remarks.
Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides,” as Cohn stood nearby in the lobby of Trump Tower where the president spoke to reporters. After Trump left, Cohn stood uncomfortably fielding questions about the president’s statements, and he repeatedly declined to comment. People close to Cohn said he was disgusted and deeply upset by Trump’s comments.
On Thursday, Cohn spoke publicly for the first time about the issue in the Financial Times interview, which largely focused on tax reform.
“Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neoNazis, and the KKK,” Cohn said. “I believe this administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities.”
Cohn’s remarks come as Trump prepares next week to start a major national effort to sell a tax-cut plan, which Cohn has been toiling for months to craft. The president will travel to Springfield, Missouri, to begin that push, a White House official said Friday.