'I was terrified': Gabby Giffords connects MAGA riot to 'violent rhetoric' that caused her own shooting

In an interview published on Friday by Rolling Stone, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) connected the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to the mass shooting that nearly killed her in 2011.

Giffords, who is married to freshman Sen. Mark Kelly, noted that she feared the same would happen to him when he was there that day — and stressed the urgency of fighting "violent rhetoric" fueling these incidents.

"A few days before the anniversary last year, your husband was at work in the U.S. Capitol when it was stormed by a violent mob," said reported Tessa Stuart. "How did you experience that event? Are you concerned about the tenor of the political conversation in this country today? What do you think can be done to change it?"

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"I was terrified for his safety, just like he was terrified for mine when I was shot ten years earlier," said Giffords. "Violent, hate-filled rhetoric has no place in this country. It’s clear that when people think violence can be part of the discourse in a democracy, tragedy follows. We all can play a part in stopping this by condemning violent rhetoric when we hear it, whether it’s an uncle on social media or the person who holds the highest office in the land."

The Giffords shooting, which killed several people including a federal judge, was perpetrated by a mentally disturbed man who had posted violent anti-government rants online, around the same time that Tea Party activism around the country was accompanied by worries of threats against elected officials.

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