Trump: Graham's Va. Criticism of Me Is a 'Disgusting Lie'

President Trump took to Twitter early Thursday to push back against the criticism of his controversial remarks about the violence in Charlottesville. He took particular issue with GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. "Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists and people like Ms. Heyer," he tweeted, referring to Heather Heyer, the woman killed during the protests. He called that a "disgusting lie" and said voters in Graham's home state of South Carolina "will remember!" He also accused the media in general of distorting his remarks. "The public is learning (even more so) how dishonest the Fake News is," he wrote. "They totally misrepresent what I say about hate, bigotry etc. Shame!"

In his Tuesday remarks—here is the full transcript—Trump insisted that "alt-left" counter-protesters shared in the blame for the weekend's violence, and Graham has been one of many public officials to criticize the president over that. "Trump took a step backward by again suggesting there is moral equivalency between the white supremacist neo-Nazis and KKK members who attended the Charlottesville rally and people like Ms. Heyer," Graham said in a statement, per CNN. "I, along with many others, do not endorse this moral equivalency." (More President Trump stories.)