Response of Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)

“White nationalism has no place in America—not on our streets in Oregon, not on our online platforms, nowhere. We are a nation made stronger by the diversity of our cultural fabric. Especially in the wake of the horrifying hate crime in El Paso, we must be clear that this is NOT who we are as Oregonians or Americans.” From a spokesperson: "Sen. Merkley points to troubling FBI data that show the number of hate crimes increasing in Oregon. Anecdotally, his office heard of increased bias assaults on Muslim, Sikh, and LGBTQ Oregonians following the 2016 presidential election. Sen. Merkley has condemned Trump’s divisive rhetoric; he uses hate to inflame fear of “the other,” which has encouraged the rise of white nationalism."