'My God!' Dem lawmaker levels Byron Donalds for casting blame for violence away from Trump
A Democratic lawmaker destroyed claims by Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida blaming Democrats for another apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
CNN's Kate Bolduan interviewed Donalds on Tuesday morning, when he claimed that "radical elements in the Democrat Party" were responsible for the two apparent attempts on Trump's life because they had characterized his right-wing agenda as extremist, and the following day she asked Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan to comment.
"First of all, I believe we need to tone down the rhetoric in American political dialogue," Kildee said. "I also think there's no place in this country for political violence. But let's just be clear, if anyone is engaging in you know caustic, incendiary rhetoric over the last eight years – my God, it's Donald Trump. For goodness sake, I mean, I'm a – all of us are victims of political violence. I was in the Capitol on Jan. 6 – that was political violence whipped up by Donald Trump and now since celebrated by Donald Trump."
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The Michigan Democrat said the former president and current GOP nominee routinely directed threats against his perceived enemies, including journalists and other elected officials, so he didn't want to hear Trump or his surrogates accusing their opponents of actions they're guilty of themselves.
"Two deranged individuals motivated by whatever went after Donald Trump – that's horrific," Kildee said. "We can't accept that, but the idea that Donald Trump and his surrogates are saying that it's Democrats who are engaging in this dangerous political speech when we have seen Donald Trump call members of the media, your industry, the enemy of the people. I mean, my goodness, we really have to fact check this guy and all of his surrogates because typically what they do is accuse their opponents of the very actions that they continue to take to try to deflect from any criticism, and I assume that that's what Rep. Donalds was doing."
"I don't know where he gets his facts," Kildee added, "but it's a different set of facts than what most people have seen."
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