WATCH: Jake Tapper Emphatically Calls Out Republicans for ‘Violations of Basic Decency’ for Mocking Alec Baldwin’s Movie Set Shooting
CNN’s Jake Tapper blasted Republicans for their joyful exploitation of the tragic shooting incident involving Alec Baldwin on the set of the film, Rust.
Last week, the actor was rehearsing a scene for the film when he fired a prop gun that held a live round. The shot killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza. The incident is under investigation, though reports and court documents have suggested Baldwin was told the gun was safe to use before he fired it. The actor has also shared his “shock and sadness” over the accident.
Tapper spoke about the tragedy in his closing monologue of State of the Union, commenting on the “heartbreak” surrounding Hutchins’ tragic death.
“But there is something about our politics right now that is driving people away from our shared humanity,” he lamented.
From there, Tapper called out Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO), GOP Senate candidate JD Vance, and other Republicans seizing upon the incident to crack political jokes at Baldwin’s expense. He also accused them of insensitively disregarding the sadness that Hutchins’ family is currently going through.
.@AlecBaldwin are these still available?
Asking for a movie producer… pic.twitter.com/AeE5VHLhqN
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) October 22, 2021
Dear @jack let Trump back on. We need Alec Baldwin tweets.
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) October 22, 2021
He did this, JD Vance, presumably because he thinks it will help him win supporters. He did it to win votes. In other words, the cruelty is a feature of his candidacy, not a bug. Vance is seemingly following the playbook of Donald Trump, whose response to the death of secretary Colin Powell a few days ago was to issue a statement attacking Powell, following similar attacks that he made against the late John McCain and the late John Dingell, after they had died.
Tapper went on by denouncing the Republican Party for their repeated “violations of basic decency,” basing his argument on how the GOP has ostracized Liz Cheney while propping up Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“A longtime Republican official texted me after JD Vance’s tweet, ‘being a horrible person is now a job requirement in this party,'” Tapper concluded. “I hope to God that Republican official is wrong.”
Watch above, via CNN.
