Paul Ryan tweets ‘white supremacy is repulsive’

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan is the first Republican leader to comment on President Donald Trump's remarks Tuesday, declaring in a tweet that "white supremacy is repulsive."

The Wisconsin Republican has sought to keep the GOP caucus on Capitol Hill focused on legislative priorities. His Twitter account is full of messages about the need to overhaul the U.S. tax code.

But Trump has shifted the public's attention away from the Republican agenda with his renewed declaration that "there is blame on both sides" for the violence last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"We must be clear," Ryan tweeted. "White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity."

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed)