Indiana Gov. Mike Pence paid a visit to a North Carolina Republican Party office on Tuesday that was torched by a firebomb over the weekend in an incident that is still being investigated by local authorities.
The Republican presidential nominee met with several Orange County Republican members inside their headquarters, where he and his wife surveyed the damage and delivered brief remarks, before jetting off to separate afternoon rallies in Wilmington and Fayetteville.
“I wanted to come here to draw attention to this cowardly act on our supporters in North Carolina and no less extent an attack on the American political system,” Pence said as he stood in front of a charred sign that informed members of the community they could “register to vote here.”
“This was an act of political terrorism and I have to tell you how inspired I am to see the way this community has come together and people have come together to continue to move forward undeterred [and] unintimidated by this senseless act of violence,” he added.
The Indiana governor noted offered his prayers and thanked God that there were no deaths or injuries as a result of the Saturday night firebombing, especially after the chairman of the Orange County Republicans had told him he often slept on the couch inside the building.
“An attack on our political system is an attack on us all and we would urge anyone that might have information about who perpetrated this attack to come forward … so we can bring to justice those individuals who were responsible for what occurred here this weekend,” Pence said.
He continued, “To those perpetrators, we simply say we will not be intimidated. You see today the resilience and the courage of people that are determined to continue to carry forward strong, resolute and determined to make America great again.”
Local and federal law enforcement officials are still investigating the incident, which took place early Sunday morning. In addition to the firebombs that burned the building and ruined hundreds of campaign materials stored inside, a nearby building was spray painted with a swastika and the threatening message: “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.”
Both Trump and Hillary Clinton condemned the attack, while members of the community have come together to offer their assistance. A group of Democrats launched an online crowdsourcing campaign on Sunday to raise money for their GOP counterparts so they can replace their yard signs and other campaign materials before the Nov. 8 election.
The group had raised $13,000 by Tuesday afternoon, several thousand dollars beyond its original goal.
