CNN's Wolf Blitzer corners GOP lawmaker for blaming Trump shooting on Biden
A Hudson Valley Republican tried to tell CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday that President Joe Biden and his allies share some responsibility in their "rhetoric" for the shooting that took place at former President Donald Trump's rally in Pennsylvania — and Blitzer quickly reminded him that no one yet knows the shooter's motive.
It started with Blitzer confronting Rep. Mike Lawler about Trump's newly-minted running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), proclaiming that the Biden campaign's criticisms of Trump as a threat to democracy "led directly" to the shooting. "Now that Vance is officially the vice presidential nominee for your party ... do you want to see him tone down that kind of rhetoric?" asked Blitzer.
"The rhetoric across the board obviously needs to come down," said Lawler. "But for the grace of God, Donald Trump would have been assassinated on Saturday. We're talking about a millimeter's difference between whether or not that bullet went through his ear or his head. And I think, obviously, the rhetoric that has been used to say that Donald Trump is a fascist, that he's a threat to democracy, is destructive to our country."
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"Don't you think the FBI, the Secret Service, should be allowed to conduct their investigation into this shooter's motive before someone, a senator in the United States Senate, goes out and blames the Biden campaign?" Blitzer pushed back.
"Look, of course the investigation will determine what the motive is and the investigation will uncover all of the facts, including how in God's name the shooter got up on a roof with a clear line of sight to the former president," said Lawler. "And certainly I think there is a feeling across the country that when you say things like that Donald Trump is going to destroy our democracy, or that he is a fascist, that does not help. It does not help the dialogue."
"So you want both Trump and Vance to tone down their rhetoric as well against Democrats?" Blitzer asked.
"I want everybody to focus on the American people and not turn this into a battle of personalities," said Lawler.
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