Trump disbands councils as resignations continue

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s ending a pair of White House advisory councils that were staffed by corporate chief executives.

CEOs have been resigning since Saturday, when Trump blamed both sides for the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counterprotesters.

Earlier today, the CEO of Campbell Soup resigned from the jobs panel citing comments by Trump.

Campbell CEO Denise Morrison said in a company release today: “Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the president should have been — and still needs to be — unambiguous on that point.”

Trump suggested in remarks Tuesday that the white supremacists and counterprotesters were both blameworthy for violence that erupted this weekend in Virginia.

Morrison said the president’s comments triggered her resignation from the manufacturing jobs panel.

Also today, the chief executive of 3M resigned from the president’s jobs panel, saying it is no longer an effective forum for the company to advance its goals.

In a statement, Inge Thulin said: “Sustainability, diversity and inclusion are my personal values and also fundamental to the 3M Vision. The past few months have provided me with an opportunity to reflect upon my commitment to these values.”