McMaster says reporting on his relationship with Bannon is “just a lot of noise,” declines to answer if they can work in the same White House

McMaster defends Tillerson following Gorka’s comments: “We should always take Secretary of State Tillerson at his word”

PLUS: Charlottesville Mayor: “It’s on the president and on all of us to say ‘enough is enough’”

AUGUST 13, 2017 –  “Of course it was terrorism,” Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, national security adviser to President Trump, told “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd this morning in reaction to the Charlottesville rally violence.

When asked why Trump did not single-out the neo-Nazis or white supremacists in his response, McMaster said, “When he condemned bigotry and hatred on all sides, that includes white supremacists and neo-Nazis, and I think it’s clear. I know it’s clear in his mind.”

The national security adviser reacted to recent criticism about Secretary Tillerson from Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president, who had told the BBC that the secretary on “military matters is simply nonsensical,” telling Todd: “We should always take Secretary of State Tillerson at his word.”

McMaster also called the speculation about his relationship with the president’s senior counselor Steve Bannon “just a lot of noise,” repeatedly declining to answer whether they can work in the same White House.

The show’s other guests also responded to the Charlottesville violence. Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs, exclusively told Todd: “It’s not just about the president from my perspective. I think political leaders, community leaders, leaders throughout the country need to start standing up to unify this country.” Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer said, “It’s on the president and on all of us to say ‘enough is enough.’”

NBC News correspondent Tom Costello reported from the ground in Charlottesville on the aftermath from the rally. He also caught up with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in an exclusive, on-camera interview, in which McAuliffe said the suspect “is a terrorist, and he used his car as a weapon.”

The New York Times’ Helene Cooper, National Review’s Rich Lowry, MSNBC’s Joy Reid and The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter joined this morning’s roundtable for insight, addressing how “this was a moment the president could have elevated himself.”

Read the full transcript of this morning’s “Meet the Press” on MeetThePress.com.

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