- McConnell on Monday said there's "no place" for white supremacists in the GOP.
- GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar appeared a white-nationalist event over the weekend.
- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also condemned the lawmakers' appearance at the event.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday said there's "no place" for white supremacists in the Republican party after two GOP members of Congress attended a white nationalist event over the weekend.
The Kentucky Republican criticized the Saturday appearances of Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona at the America First Political Action Conference, rejecting the far-right politics that have enveloped some of the more conservative elements of the party in recent years.
"There's no place in the Republican Party for white supremacists or anti-Semitism," McConnell said in a statement after being asked by a reporter about the appearances by sitting members of Congress. The GOP leader did not mention any lawmakers by name.
One of the event's organizers was Nick Fuentes, who has a history of making racist and antisemitic remarks. Last year, Gosar was a speaker at the America First conference, where Fuentes spoke of a desire to shield "the white demographic core."
At Saturday's event, Fuentes called on attendees to give "a round of applause for Russia," according to Politico, a distressing message as Congress has overwhelmingly sought to rally behind Ukraine's efforts to defend itself against an invasion engineered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When Greene was asked by CBS News about her appearance at the controversial event, she said that she didn't "know" Fuentes and simply wanted to "address his very large following" about "America First policies" and "what's "important for our country going forward."
"I do not know Nick Fuentes. I've never heard him speak. I've never seen a video. I don't know what his views are, so I'm not aligned with anything that may be controversial," she said.
A spokesperson for Gosar didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Other Republican leaders were similarly quick to condemn Greene's and Gosar's appearances at the event. "I definitely want to disassociate myself from it," Senate Minority Whip John Thune told Politico. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also issued a rare rebuke of his two caucus members, saying their appearances were "unacceptable."
The appearances are also an unwelcome message for a party that has sought to diversify its ranks in recent years. In many of the competitive House districts that flipped to Republican control in 2020, women and candidates of color defeated Democrats by appealing to diverse constituencies.
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, an outspoken member of the right flank of the GOP, said she rejected Fuentes and other white supremacists.
"I do not apologize for other members and what they say or what they do. I do not support white supremacists, like Nick Fuentes, period," she told Politico.