U.S. Sen. Cory Booker is criticizing President Donald Trump's "bigoted, sexist rhetoric" as "dangerous," but declined to fault him Saturday in the New Zealand mosque massacre.

Booker said Trump's rhetoric and the fact that he "can't even condemn Nazis" is dangerous, but said he's "not connecting it to any incidents." He made the comments to reporters after a campaign stop in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Booker said "there are white supremacist groups and right-wing groups that use his rhetoric as license for what they do. They talk about him being on their side. And that's unacceptable."

He said if elected president, he would instruct his Justice Department to investigate hate groups and "unequivocally denounce" hatred.

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