While we know the gun was a registered Republican , his motive is currently unknown .
After the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump this weekend, many Republican lawmakers are already trying to blame Democrats.
The shooter wasidentifiedby law enforcement as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. His motive for shooting Trump, injuring two others, and killing another at the rally is not currently known. He was a registered Republican who once donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project.
Fingers were quickly pointed at the Democrats by Republican representatives such as Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene and House majorityleaderSteve Scalise. The latter accused Democrats of inciting “violent rhetoric” and “fueling ludicrous hysteria” surrounding Trump.
There are also those,such asTexas’s Keith Self and Georgia’s Mike Collins, who have tried to accuse Biden directly for “inciting violence” against Trump. They pointed to a private phone call Biden had with donors last week where he said, as perCNN, “We’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye."
Every American should be outraged at Joe Biden for inciting violence against Donald J. Trump.https://t.co/Q0nMReEA0d
In response, an aide to Biden toldNBCthat Biden had often spoken of “condemning political violence and saying it can never happen, before and during the presidency.”
In response to the shootings themself, Biden said, “We cannot, must not go down this road in America. We have traveled it before throughout our history. Violence has never been the answer.”
We must stand for an America not of extremism and fury . But of decency and grace.pic.twitter.com/p5VV7C4Bio
There is some evidence that violent political attacks haveincreasedin recent years. Reuters found that in the 18 fatal political attacks since Jan. 6, 2021, 13 were right-wing while one was left-wing.
We’ll keep you posted with any updates.
