A Bloodied Rep. Davis Gives Impassioned Plea to End ‘Hatefulness’ in US Politics: ‘This Has to Stop’
Republican congressman Rodney Davis gave an emotional account of the shooting at a GOP House baseball practice early Wednesday that wounded five, including House GOP whip. Steve Scalise.
Davis, still bloodied from the attack when he described the scene to CNN’s Brianna Keilar, said he was up for bat when he first heard a loud noise, and ran to the dugout when someone yelled “run he’s got a gun.”
“I got to witness the heroism of the Capitol Police that were there as part of Scalise’s detail,” Davis said.
“If they wouldn’t have been there, this would have been a massacre of innocent people.”
Davis gave the interview with blood still on his arm and hands, and detailed his attempts to take cover as the assailant fired on the congressmen.
Davis then pivoted to the current political climate, giving an impassioned plea to tone down the “hateful” rhetoric:
“Let me tell you, that this hatefulness that we see in this country today, over policy differences, has got to stop,” Davis said. “I believe that there’s such a hatefulness in what we see in American politics and policy discussions right now, in social media and the 24-hour news cycle. This has got to stop.”
“And I think that Republicans and Democrats need to use this day today to stand together and say stop,” he continued. “Let’s work together, let’s get things done. We can have our differences, but let’s not let it lead to such hate.”
When Keilar asked how he was feeling, Davis said “I’m angry.”
“I took the chance to come down here because I want to talk to people about what I witnessed, and about the effect that it should have as we move forward as a country,” he said. “And that’s why I’m here, bloodied in my uniform still and not had a chance to go clean up because it’s that important that a message gets out that the hatefulness, this political rhetoric hate…has to stop.”
Davis added that “this could be the first political rhetorical terrorist act.”
While police have not yet released a motive for the attack, The Washington Post reported the identity of the shooter as James T. Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old Virginia man who, judging from what appears to be his Facebook account, is no fan of President Donald Trump.
Davis also described how the Congressional baseball game, held every year between House Democrats and Republicans for charity, brings both sides of the aisle together.
“We have fun, and it is a great opportunity,” Davis said. “And I never thought I’d play a baseball game for charity, go to practice at 6:30 in the morning, and have to dodge bullets.”
“This has to be the breaking point,” Davis added, regarding the hateful political rhetoric in America.
“We’ve got to stop it, because I watched my friend, and my fellow member, Steve Scalise, laying motionless on the field, wondering if he’s going to be ok,” Davis said. “That is an image I will never forget.”
On whether he thought Republican members were targeted, Davis said “I don’t think it was a coincidence that no bullets were fired outside of that baseball field.”
“We’ve got to make this day our day where we say the political rhetorical hate ends,” Davis concluded.
[image via screengrab]
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