The man who allegedly shot several people at a baseball practice for Congressional Republicans was a Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) supporter and reportedly volunteered on Sanders’ presidential campaign.
Authorities say 66-year-old James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Ill., opened fire Wednesday morning at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va. Five people were wounded, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). Hodgkinson was shot at the scene and later died in a hospital.
Sanders first issued a statement condemning the shooting, then addressed it in prepared remarks delivered on the U.S. Senate floor.
“I have just been informed that the alleged shooter at the Republican baseball practice is someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign,” Sanders said. “I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms.”
The banner photo on what appears to be Hodgkinson’s Facebook page is an image of Sanders. The page is full of progressive and anti-Republican commentaries, many of them harsh or even vulgar. Hodgkinson was a frequent letter-writer to his local newspaper; the letters were sharply critical of Republican policies and politicians.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Hodgkinson volunteered for Sanders’ presidential campaign in Iowa. According to the Des Moines Register, Hodgkinson was not a paid staffer, and campaign operatives had no recollection of him.
The shooting broke out just after 7 a.m. Wednesday at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, a few miles outside of Washington, D.C. Scalise was shot in the hip and taken to a hospital for treatment. The wounded also included a Congressional staffer, a lobbyist and two U.S. Capitol police officers.
Here is video of Sanders’ full remarks:
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Citizen, Thank you and I’ll be right by your side also.. I love my country, it’s the way I was raised. I was taught RESPECT for our country and flag. My father was in WW!! and the Korean War, My Uncles from both sides also, My husband was in Vietnam, along with all my cousins and friends, my son was in Iraq..and none of them were drafted, they SIGNED up.I come from a long line of Military and from all branches of the Military..There was never any DRAFT DODGERS..
I lost family in these wars. some that I didn’t know., but they get my respect and I show my respect every year. I was raised to show respect to our Presidents even tho he wasn’t the one I voted for and don’t agree with.He is the President. My father always said “you may not respect the person but you need to respect the office he is in” I don’t want America to become a NWO liberal country..!!!!!
My family fought for our country freedom and I’ll be damn that I will let idiots destroy my country..Hitler was a Socialist do you democrat liberals know that.? My father saw the claw marks on the inside of these “ovens”.Socialism doesn’t work..Yet I know a lot of you believe in it, because you believe the socialist sanders, you like that anyone can take what you have and make and give it to someone else who don’t even work..
Knowwyourass……. are calling Jane Sanders a lier. She is the one that reported the chair throwing not me. I think you might have fried your brain during the Summer of Love. It must be awful to be so wrong all the time. I would say I feel bad for you but you ignorance is your own fault. It might help to stop getting all your fake facts from media sources controlled by the evil Goerge Soros. And congratulations you have fallen into the libs trap and now spend time arguing with fellow republicans instead of fighting the real enemy the liberals. How foolish can you be? Ps I hope you saw my post to you before it was removed. Have a good day my confused friend.
“since the summer of love back on 1969”
The Summer of Love was 1967. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Lo…
“At the Democratic National Convention was it a person from Hillary’s camp or a peace loving Bernie fan that threw the first chair”
No one threw chairs at the Democratic National Convention. There was an allegation that chairs were thrown at the Nevada Democratic Convention, but that accusation has been called into question.
You are seriously fact-challenged. You just say stuff. No wonder you love Trump so much. You’re just like him. Facts? Accuracy? Who cares?
Hey Bernie fans I have a question I’m hoping one of you can answer. At the Democratic National Convention was it a person from Hillary’s camp or a peace loving Bernie fan that threw the first chair when tempers flared? I thought I read somewhere on here that Democrats don’t use violence as a political tool. Jane Sanders reminded the world today of the fact that dems will even use violence on each other when they dont get their own way , in her CNN interview. AS REPORTED BY WCAX. http://www.wcax.com/story/35676245/jane-sa…
CNN NEVER reports fake news right?
Donna you are not alone in your support of our great President and our Great Nation. All those suffering from Trump Derangement syndrome will never get it. Folks like Knowyourass….. will never be able to wrap their tiny brains around the fact that the silent majority choose to be silent no longer in November and I can’t wait to watch them loose their minds when Trump wins a second term in 2020. They are blinded by stupidity and self hate. They have fallen pray to the liberal brain washing that has been going on since the summer of love back on 1969. Stand strong Donna and thank you for speaking up for proper values our country needs more people like yourself. And when the crazy libs get their way and start a civil war know that I’ll have your back sister.
Blame Socialist old Bernie or not..Why aren’t some in here paying attention to the news..The liberal hating left are blaming Pres Trump for the shooting.. there is liberals tweeting that the shooter should had shot harder and more, and it’s to bad he didn’t kill Scalise..
Statements from Democrats… Tim Kaine Called For Fighting in the Streets. Loretta Lynch called for Blood in the streets.
Obama asked his supporters to “Rise Up”….Sanders calls Pres Trump a dangerous man and needs to be taken out..CNN announced who would take over the government if all elected Republicans were KILLED during Trump’s inauguration…..A New York “play” shows the killing of Trump…..Snoop Dog kills Trump in a video…..Kathy Griffin decapitates Trump in a photoshoot…..Madonna wants to blow up the White House…..Ashley Judd is NASTY & Hillary joins the “Resistance”…..A play in NYC does a stabbing of a actor dressed as Pres Trump…There are Idiot Lefties in MSM calling our Wonderful President is a Nazi, Racist, Bigot along with his supporters….I wonder why people are losing their minds. Do NOT call for Gun Control….Call for Liberal Control….Liberalism is truly a MENTAL DISEASE…..and I’m a deplorable Trump supporter and proud of it.. and respect my President..
Blaming Bernie for this is akin to blaming Trump for the Pizzagate nut with the gun.
Tip of the hat to Walters for finding some fodder for his weekly Bernie hate-on though.
You still haven’t offered any evidence for your “fact” that the college hooligans at Berkley and Middlebury were Bernie supporters, other than it’s just your assumption. Nice job.
More importantly, your conclusion that they engaged in their hooliganism because Bernie encouraged them to do so is pure howl-at-the-moon lunacy. Let me see if I get your impeccable logic: Because Bernie’s support base has a lot of college students in it, and because the hooligans at Berkley and Middlebury were college students, it therefore follows inevitably that he caused those students to engage in the violence. Very nice job. A+ in logic.
And, no, I absolutely, positively disagree with you that the comments you quote from Bernie could or would in any way, shape, or form, possibly incite anybody to violence, or were intended to do so. I can’t say the same thing about the racist-tinged, xenophobic remarks that your hero Trump spewed regularly during his campaign, or the unsubtle hint he dropped that gun owners might want to shoot Hillary.
When Bernie says things like “Trump is the most dangerous President in American history and must be stopped” that might encourage violence. Or when he and his lib friends say thing like Trumps agenda will “kill people” you mean to tell me that comments like that don’t imply that violence might be an acceptable action. Fact. College students make up about 90% of his voters, also the reason he lost because many of them are to lazy or to stoned to vote. And for someone that claims to be a Republican and ” has little use for Bernie” you sure spend a lot of energy defending the communist. Oh I’m sorry “socialist” a made up word for communism so it fits better in the American vocabulary. Bernie may not have given the order but when he uses the words he does to get his base fired up he might as well have given the guy the gun and the students the match. He started a fire in our culture that is out of control. Not much different from the propaganda ISIS uses to inspire their crazy followers to commit hitious acts of terrorism. And don’t fool yourself the actions taken yesterday were political terrorism.
“Knowyourass…….. please tell me what facts I made up.”
In your 06/14/2017 at 9:35 posting, you stated that the students who caused the violence on the Berkley and Middlebury campus were “Bernie supporters.” That’s making up facts. Please post here any evidence that any of the perpetrators in either of those incidents identified themselves as Bernie supporters, or said that they were disrupting the speeches because of Bernie.
Furthermore, you clearly implied that the perpetrators engaged in that violence because Bernie somehow encourages violence. Please cite your proof for that.
I have little use for Bernie. But claiming that he is responsible for left wing violence is pure right wing bullshit.