Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in an interview this morning that Saturday's attack in which a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters, killing one person, "does meet the definition of domestic terrorism in our statute."
"You can be sure we will charge and advance the investigation towards the most serious charges that can be brought, because this is an unequivocally unacceptable and evil attack that cannot be accepted in America," he told ABC's "Good Morning America."
Sessions said he expects to hear more from Trump on the matter after meeting with him today, as well as officials from the FBI.
"We will not allow these extremist groups to obtain credibility," Sessions told "CBS This Morning."
Sessions appeared on several morning news shows this morning, condemning the violent demonstrations over the removal of a Confederate monument. The Justice Department announced over the weekend that it was opening a civil rights investigation into the incident.
Under federal law that was expanded after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a violation of federal or state criminal law qualifies as domestic terrorism if it appears to be intended to coerce or intimidate a civilian population or to coerce the policy of the government. But domestic terrorism carries no additional penalties. Investigators rely on charges like murder and assault in prosecuting these crimes.