GOP lawmaker whines that House hearing on Club Q massacre was too accusatory of Republicans

On Wednesday, survivors of the Club Q massacre testified before the House Oversight Committee, demanding action on gun safety — but also pointing the finger at hateful politicians who pushed anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. One survivor testified bluntly, "to the politicians and activists who accuse LGBTQ people of grooming children and being abusers, shame on you." Another said, "The rhetoric you heard from elected leaders is the cause of the horrific shooting at Club Q."

But ranking member James Comer (R-KY) bristled at the idea — and complained that the hearing was too unfair to Republicans, reported CNN's Manu Raju.

"Survivors called on lawmakers to take action and protect lives of LGBTQ individuals," said anchor Jake Tapper. "Did that get any response from Republicans in the room to hear the testimony?"

"There was a Republican in the room during the hearing, James Comer, who's poised to become the next chairman of the committee," said Raju. "He said while Republicans condemn this horrific attack, he criticized Democrats for holding this hearing, saying that Democrats are using today's hearing to, quote, 'blame Republicans for this horrendous crime.' He went on to say this is an effort to try to blame Republicans for what he contended was Democrats' 'soft-on-crime policies.'"

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"Democrats said these were designed to show the attacks on LGBTQ were not isolated, and what happened at Club Q is part of a larger systemic problem in society," continued Raju. "And that's what James Slaugh, who survived the attack, told lawmakers, that the violent rhetoric that he's hearing across media platforms needs to stop.

"Hate rhetoric from politicians, religious leaders, and media outlets is at the root of attacks like at Club Q, and it needs to stop now," said Slaugh in the clip. "Rhetoric that makes people less than for being different, rhetoric that threatens to silence what sports we can play, what bathrooms we can use, how we define our family, and who I can marry ... we need elected leaders to demonstrate language that reflects love and understanding, not hate and fear."

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Manu Raju on James Comerwww.youtube.com