Some Democrats criticized Republicans following the assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, accusing their colleagues across the aisle of failing to issue sufficient condemnations of violent rhetoric targeting lawmakers.
“Many people have stayed silent during this time, not Liz Cheney, not Adam Kinzinger within their own party,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, referring to two GOP lawmakers on the House Jan. 6 committee.
“I think it is really important that people realize that it is not just this moment of this horrific attack, but that we have seen violence perpetrated throughout our political system,” she said. “And there are several things we can do from the security standpoint … But it is also about making sure we don’t add more election deniers to our political system.”
Oct. 30, 202208:22
Paul Pelosi was attacked by an intruder at the couple’s California home early Friday. San Francisco police alleged that David DePape, the 42-year-old suspect who faces charges including attempted murder, broke into the home occupied at the time only by Paul Pelosi and confronted him, ending with a tug-of-war over a hammer. Two sources told NBC News the intruder was searching for Nancy Pelosi, who was in Washington, D.C.
Although a motive for the attack remains under investigation, several Democrats swiftly condemned Republicans after the assault, saying they have not done enough to address the issue of violence and threats against lawmakers.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., on Saturday tweeted that a line must be drawn that connects “violent political rhetoric and violent acts.”
“The Pelosi assailant’s Facebook page looks identical to the Facebook pages of Trump, Taylor Greene, and Boebert,” Swalwell wrote. “All three of them have glorified violence and Depape acted on it.”
Hours after the attack, several prominent Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-K.y., condemned the assault of Pelosi’s husband and wished him a swift recovery.
But some Democrats expressed worries about the rise of violent rhetoric that preceded the attack and accused Republicans of failing to take action to combat it.
“A far right white nationalist tried to assassinate the Speaker of the House and almost killed her husband a year after violent insurrectionists tried to find her and kill her in the Capitol,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., tweeted Saturday. “And the Republican Party’s response is to either ignore it or belittle it.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for his delayed response to the attack. “Yesterday, a man sharing that member’s rhetoric tried to assassinate the Speaker and her spouse,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Saturday.
“What has @GOPLeader said? Nothing,” Ocasio-Cortez said, referring to McCarthy. “This is who he is.”
In a statement shortly after the attack, a spokesperson for McCarthy said he reached out to the speaker hours after her husband was assaulted. McCarthy then told Breitbart radio on Saturday that he condemns the violence and called the attack “wrong.”
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., took aim at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after the GOP lawmaker condemned the attack.
“YOU called for Nancy Pelosi to be executed, @RepMTG,” McGovern tweeted. “YOU said she should be hung for treason.”
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, pushed back against the Democrats, saying that it’s “unfair” to link GOP rhetoric to the attack because the attacker was a “deranged individual.”
“You can’t say people saying ‘let’s fire Pelosi’ or ‘let’s take back the House’ is saying go do violence. It’s just unfair,” McDaniel said.
A memo was circulated Saturday to congressional offices that highlighted the available security resources for offices and congressional members, such as residential security assessments and law enforcement coordination. The memo also acknowledged an uptick in threats against lawmakers and the attack on Pelosi’s husband.
“Meanwhile, across the country, the USCP Threat Assessment Section is working around the clock to stop thousands of potential threats in their tracks,” the memo reads. “Despite that work, it is critical that we urge you all to take advantage of additional USCP resources that could help protect you and your families.”
The attack occurred less than two weeks before the midterm elections, which will determine the balance of power in Congress.
Haley Talbot and Allie Raffa contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
