A CNN anchor had a fiery reaction in a conversation with a Republican Indiana state lawmaker on Monday, as Indiana leaders in the Senate will vote to decide on redistricting in the state.
State Rep. Andrew Ireland said it was "backwards" to try and blame President Donald Trump for swatting or other attacks on opponents and other lawmakers after his comments on his perceived enemies during a conversation with CNN anchor Brianna Keilar. Keilar pressed the Republican lawmaker over his comment.
"Does the president of the United States have any responsibility to try and mitigate it when you see swatting going on, happening after he says something on social media about a lawmaker?" Keilar asked.
Ireland responded by pointing to local law enforcement and their responsibility to protect citizens.
"The big piece of it there is law enforcement holding people accountable in the first place...," Ireland said. "But the president calling out political opponents or advocating for a position is not the same thing as going and inciting swatting, if that's what you're getting at."
Keilar pushed back.
"No, that's not what I said," Keilar said. "If someone, if a president, were to politically target you, and then you suffer one of these swatting incidents, would you hope that the rhetoric might be tamped down? Is that a reasonable thing to hope for or expect from the leader of the country?"
Ireland said that he didn't believe you could "...tie somebody's truth Social posts or their tweets to bad and illegal behavior by another person... I don't think the president is doing anything he shouldn't be doing."
Trump was criticized by multiple lawmakers and advocates for calling Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz a derogatory slur. Michael Bohacek, an Indiana state senator and Republican, has said he will not support the redistricting effort in the state after the president's comments.
Trump has made multiple demands to Republican lawmakers across the United States. The president had called on GOP legislators to redraw congressional maps in states all over the country, but Indiana Republicans — even in deep-red Trump districts — made clear to their elected representatives that they do not want to go along with the scheme.