Burgum backs masked white nationalists' right to march through capital

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said he disagreed with the group's ideology but defended the Independence Day march of roughly 400 masked white nationalists through Washington under the First Amendment.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum publicly defended the First Amendment right of an estimated 400 masked white nationalists to march through Washington, D.C. on Independence Day.
Burgum said he disagreed with the group's beliefs but would not condemn the march on constitutional grounds.
The march drew immediate criticism from lawmakers and civil rights organizations.
The event is among the largest white nationalist demonstrations in the capital in recent years.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the First Amendment right of approximately 400 masked white nationalists to march through Washington, D.C. on Independence Day, even as he said he personally disagreed with their beliefs.

Burgum's remarks, confirmed by sources tracking the administration's public statements, drew swift condemnation from civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers who called the secretary's response inadequate given the scale and visibility of the demonstration.

The march, which moved through the capital on July 4, ranks among the largest white nationalist demonstrations held in Washington in recent years. Participants were masked throughout.

Burgum did not call for any federal investigation into the march's organizers or the use of masks during the demonstration. He framed his position as a constitutional principle rather than an endorsement.

Critics argued the secretary's statement gave political cover to an extremist movement at a moment when federal leadership could have sent a sharper signal. Supporters of Burgum's position said the First Amendment applies regardless of the speaker's ideology.

No federal response or review of the march has been announced. Congress returns from its Independence Day recess next week, at which point lawmakers are expected to press the administration for a fuller accounting of the event and any security coordination that preceded it.