Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) on Thursday admitted that he “struggled” as he watched racist chants break out at President Donald Trump’s rally — though he still refused to denounce racism.

Writing on Twitter, Walker said that he “struggled with the ‘send her back’ chant tonight referencing Rep. Omar.”

Walker then proceeded to trash Omar’s character by saying that “her history, words and actions reveal her great disdain for both America amd Israel.” Walker then argued that this supposed disdain for America “should be our focus and not phrasing that’s painful to our friends in the minority communities.”

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Though it was brief, I struggled with the “send her back” chant tonight referencing Rep. Omar. Her history, words & actions reveal her great disdain for both America & Israel. That should be our focus and not phrasing that’s painful to our friends in the minority communities.

— Rep. Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) July 18, 2019

Walker’s mealy-mouthed critique of racist Trump rally chants drew an angry reaction from many other Twitter users — check out some of the top reactions below.

As long as you very briefly struggled with it before letting partisanship win out over principle.

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) July 18, 2019

That chant was painful to every American with a knowledge of history and a functioning conscience, Congressman.

We know from the Bible that Pontius Pilate struggled, as well. But it's not for the struggle that he is remembered. #IStandWithIlhan

— Rev. Fred Small (@revfredsmall) July 18, 2019

sorry about your kampf, bro

— as a prosecutor, (@Mobute) July 18, 2019

Empty, hollow words when, in the same sentence, you blast her for hating America and Israel. Neither of which are true. So stop lying. This is one of the weakest, most pathetic attempts to stand against racism. Feel embarrassed when you read it back later.

— Mike P Williams (@Mike_P_Williams) July 18, 2019

Impressive victory over that little clicker of conscience you are still capable of hearing. Brave. Inspiring.

— Jacob T. Levy (@jtlevy) July 18, 2019

I’m a civics teacher who lives and works in your district. Please provide me with the evidence of Rep. Omar’s “disdain…for America.” I wouldn’t let my students get away with a a claim without evidence. I certainly won’t let my congressman.

— Ferris(Mr.) (@_ferrous) July 18, 2019

You were a former pastor and you “struggled with” the “send her back” chant? How’d that struggle turn out? 🤦🏼‍♀️

— Birgit Nazarian (@birkirstin) July 18, 2019

If this is the best rebuke you can offer against fascism then you are a fascist too.#FascistPresident

— Jenn Gray (@votejenngray) July 18, 2019

You didn't struggle with shit. Republicans are racist

— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) July 18, 2019

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… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We’ve launched a weekly podcast, “We’ve Got Issues,” focused on issues, not tweets. Unlike other news sites, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. We’re not part of a conglomerate, or a project of venture capital bros. From unflinching coverage of racism, to revealing efforts to erode our rights, Raw Story will continue to expose hypocrisy and harm. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

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