For all the huffing and puffing by Democrats over the last five years about Trump supporters and violence, the only incident of actual political violence against our elected officials was committed by one of their own.
In June 2017, James Hodgkinson, a former volunteer for Sen. Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential bid, visited the field in Virginia where GOP lawmakers were practicing for the annual congressional baseball game.
Once he confirmed the people on the field were Republicans, Hodgkinson fired off at least 70 rounds and nearly killed Rep. Steve Scalise as well as a lobbyist at the practice. He also wounded two U.S. Capitol Police officers.
Hodgkinson was subsequently killed by police at the scene.
Last month, Politico reported that the FBI’s initial determination was “suicide by cop.” That was revealed by GOP Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, who was at the field when the shooting occurred and last month criticized FBI Director Christopher Wray for the agency’s determination.
“Much to our shock that day, the FBI concluded that this was a case of the attacker seeking suicide by cop,” Wenstrup said to Wray during a hearing.
“Director, you want suicide by cop, you just pull a gun on a cop. It doesn’t take 136 rounds. It takes one bullet.”
The FBI was alone in reaching that conclusion.
Wenstrup said the Department of Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community thought Hodgkinson was a terrorist, as did local prosecutors.
A state prosecutor, Bryan Porter, wrote in his report of the shooting, “The evidence, in this case, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect, fueled by rage against Republican legislators, decided to commit an act of terrorism as that term is defined by the Code of Virginia.”
It seems, however, the FBI has had second thoughts.
On Saturday, according to Fox News, Wenstrup pointed out that the FBI now considers Hodgkinson a “domestic violent extremist.”
“Our intelligence and law enforcement apparatuses require accuracy, precision, and justice. I’m encouraged that the FBI has updated its classification of that nearly catastrophic event to reflect the actual motives of the assailant, and I commend Director Wray for his oversight of that correction,” Wenstrup said.
“I will continue to work with the Bureau toward investigating what led to the original ‘suicide by cop’ determination,” he added.
The initial determination was made by former interim Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired in March 2018, two days short of retirement, after an internal investigation revealed he had lied about leaks to the media.
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