Rep. Steve Scalise referenced his shooting at the hands of a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders in response to the senator’s defenders downplaying allegations that some of his surrogates are violent or hateful.
“I have never seen @BernieSanders supporters being unusually mean or rude,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison tweeted. “Can someone send me an example of a ‘Bernie Bro’ being bad. Also, are we holding all candidates responsible for the behavior of some of their supporters?”
“I can think of one,” Scalise responded.
Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, was injured in 2017 when James Hodgkinson opened fire on a practice for the Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Virginia.
I can think of an example. https://t.co/KwuvyYgyGw
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) February 20, 2020
Hodgkinson, who lived in Illinois, posted hateful comments about Republicans and President Trump on social media and was an outspoken Sanders supporter.
“Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co,” Hodgkinson wrote.
Scalise is one of Trump’s strongest defenders in Congress.
Sanders has been accused of not doing more to stymie incidents of violent, hateful messages his surrogates send to other Democratic candidates for president and his critics.
“If there are a few people who make ugly remarks … I disown those people, they are not part of our movement,” Sanders said during Wednesday’s Democratic debate.
Ellison was elected Minnesota’s attorney general despite his ex-girlfriend accusing him of domestic violence.
