Shot in the hip by a homeless man at a park in Alexandria, Va. while practicing for the annual GOP v. Democrat charity baseball game, 61-year-old Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) remains in critical but stable condition at Washington’s MedStar Hospital Center. Hit by 66-year-old Illinois-based drifter, James T. Hodgkinson belonged to a Facebook group called “Terminate the Republican Party.” Scalise becomes the latest victim in today’s raging partisan divide recently hitting a new low with Democrats accusing President Donald Trump of colluding with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the Nov. 8, 2016 election. Since Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Rohham Clinton, Trump and his campaign team have been under FBI investigation, whipping the Washington press into a frenzy about Trump’s impeachment, despite offering no proof of any crimes.
Former FBI Director James Comey got his payback June 8 in the Senate Intelligence Committee to retaliate against Trump for firing him May 3. Comey told the committee Trump lied when he said the FBI had poor morale under his leadership. But whether Comey likes the reasons behind his firing, Trump has every right to his opinion about FBI morale or the Director’s failed leadership. That’s not lying as Comey told senators, that’s simply Trump’s opinion. Since Comey’s firing, Washington’s press has gone wild accusing Trump of “obstruction of justice” on two flimsy counts. (1) Comey alleges that Trump tried to get him to end the FBI investigation into former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and (2) that Trump fired him to impede an FBI investigation. Since Comey’s firing and testimony, the media whipped lunatics like Hodgkinson into violence.
Months of whipping the public into a frenzy over Trump’s alleged crimes, an unstable fanatic was driven to violence, shooting Scalise at warm-up for a charity baseball game and some congressional aids and two Capitol Hill police. Capitol Hill police responded to the incident, firing on Hoddkinson, who later died of his gunshot wounds. “Everyone on that field is a public servant,” Trump said. “Their sacrifice makes democracy possible,” knowing he’s presiding over the most rancorous period in recent U.S. history. Never before has a new president been under FBI investigation without any facts to support an investigation. Wild speculation in the media has fueled the hatred leading Hodgkinson to commit violence. Police documented that Hodgkinson participated in a Facebook group calling to end the Republican Party by whatever means necessary, including violence.
No matter how much the media dismisses today’s toxic atmosphere, Hodgkinson was motivated by the press’s feeding frenzy accusing Trump and his associates of criminal activity. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Pelosi has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics, often citing unverified newspaper articles in the New York Times and Washington Post calling for Trump’s impeachment. If you listened to Pelosi, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) or Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) you’d think it was citizen’s duty to kill Trump, his Cabinet or Republicans in Congress. When deranged folks go ballistic, they’re influenced by the 24/7 news cycle, parading expert-after-expert accusing Trump and his White House team of high-crimes-and misdemeanors without any proof. Comey’s dramatic testimony and media’s saturation coverage only made things worse.
Living out of his car since March, Hodgkinson’s was a ticking time bomb looking to go off, according to FBI Special Agent Tim Slater. It’s not rocket science to figure out that unstable individuals are affected by the media rancor against Trump. While it’s fine that Ryan and Pelosi make conciliatory gestures, that doesn’t undo the toxic media atmosphere that helps poison the minds of trigger-happy mentally unstable criminals. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) admitted that he answered the shooter’s question of which party was up to bat, then opened fire on Scalise in the outfield. Scalise’s security detail was not in the field when Hodgkinson’s opened fire, hitting Scalise in the hip, before paramedics whisked him to MedStar Medeical Center. Scalise faces more surgeries and an extended stay before returning to Congress, though he’s expected to recovery fully.
Today’s shooting shows that Democrats and the media must do their part to not whip the public into a frenzy over Trump’s alleged crimes. Hyping Comey’s testimony and calling for Trump’s impeachment adds to the toxic atmosphere that pushed Hodgkinson’s over the edge. While there’s nothing wrong with letting the FBI investigation into Trump’s alleged ties with Russia play out quietly, there’s something irresponsible about the media hyping wild speculation to the max, fueling violence in unstable citizens. Everyday there’s more leaks about what’s really happening in the FBI, giving rise to more yellow journalism. Good journalism, with carefully verified sources, has gone by the boards in today’s 24/7 news cycle. Too many pundits fill unstable minds with incendiary rhetoric, leading to the most recent ballistic episode, appearing all too common in today’s world.
