by Adedotun Michael

The U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has leaned to his boss’ defense by criticizing the media for its coverage of President Donald Trump’s remarks on Saturday of the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia were the president said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides.”

While speaking during a visit to the South American nation of Colombia, Pence said that it was inappropriate to criticize not only the white supremacists behind the “Unite the Right” march but also counter-protesters on the scene, Politico reports.

While also speaking in a joint news conference with Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, he said, “I will say I take issue with the fact that many in the national media spent more time criticizing the president’s words than they did criticizing those that perpetrated the violence to begin with.

“We should be putting the attention where it belongs, and that is on those extremist groups that need to be pushed out of the public debate entirely and discredited for the hate groups and dangerous fringe groups that they are.”

The Vice President further clarified that neither he nor the president intended to let the white supremacist groups off the hook for their attitudes.

“We have no tolerance for hate and violence from white supremacists, neo-Nazis or the KKK. These dangerous fringe groups have no place in American public life and in the American debate, and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms,” Mr Pence restated.