Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Condemns Series of Attempted Attacks on Democrats, CNN
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
October 24, 2018

Share

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump condemned the series of attempted attacks on high-profile Democrats and others, declaring Wednesday that “acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States.”
Attempting a bipartisan pause during a divisive campaign season, Trump called for unity after crude pipe bombs targeting Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, CNN and others were intercepted Tuesday and Wednesday. Trump called the suspicious packages “despicable” and said a “major federal investigation” was underway.

“We’re extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning, and we will get to the bottom of it.” — President Donald Trump
Coming just 13 days before the midterm elections, the attempted attacks underscored the deeply divided moment in American politics. The packages were directed at prominent Democrats and a cable network often criticized by political conservatives. In his rallies and on Twitter, Trump has frequently lambasted Clinton, Obama and CNN, as well as other Democrats and news outlets, often with menacing undertones.

Valley Republicans Condemn Attempted Attacks

Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said on Twitter: “Republican or Democrat, we’re all Americans first. … This kind of thing has no place in our country.”


Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) also took to Twitter: “The attacks and threats against President Obama, Secretary Clinton, news outlets, and others are unacceptable. …”

Trump Praised Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte

At a rally in Montana last week, Trump praised Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte, who pleaded guilty to assaulting a reporter, saying that “any guy that can do a body slam … he was my guy.”

In his rallies and on Twitter, Trump has frequently lambasted Clinton, Obama and CNN, as well as other Democrats and news outlets, often with menacing undertones.
In his remarks at the White House on Wednesday, Trump did not name any of the entities targeted by the devices.
“We’re extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning, and we will get to the bottom of it,” he said.
Clinton, who lost the presidency to Trump in a bitterly fought campaign, said it was a “troubling time” and a “time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.”
The president’s allies pushed back on the suggestion that he contributes to a toxic political atmosphere.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, said: “I don’t see anything really wrong with the president. He’s in a tough position, attacked on all sides, and he ought to be able to express himself.”

An ‘Attempt to Terrorize Public Figures’

Republicans also condemned the suspicious devices.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., denounced the “reprehensible acts” as an “attempt to terrorize public figures.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called it “domestic terrorism.”
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who is facing a fierce challenge from Democrat Beto O’Rourke, tweeted that “violence is never OK” and said the reports were “deeply, deeply disturbing. America is better than this.”
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., who was severely wounded in a 2017 shooting that targeted Republican members of Congress on a suburban baseball field, wrote on Twitter that he had experienced “first-hand the effects of political violence” and said that as a nation “we must agree that this is a dangerous path and it cannot become the new normal.”

DON'T MISS

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

DON'T MISS

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

DON'T MISS

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

DON'T MISS

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

DON'T MISS

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

DON'T MISS

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

DON'T MISS

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

DON'T MISS

As Dem Candidates for Governor Increase, They Wait for Harris to Decide

UP NEXT

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

Flores Homers, Matos and Wade Also Go Deep to Help Giants Cap Sweep of Astros

UP NEXT

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

UP NEXT

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

UP NEXT

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

UP NEXT

NFL Postpones Tush Push Decision but Passes Other Rule Changes, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

March Madness: It’s South Carolina vs. Texas and UCLA vs. UConn in Women’s Final Four

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

3 hours ago

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

3 hours ago

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

3 hours ago

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

4 hours ago

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

5 hours ago

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

5 hours ago

As Dem Candidates for Governor Increase, They Wait for Harris to Decide

5 hours ago

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

5 hours ago

Protests Planned All Over the World Aimed at Donald Trump and Elon Musk

5 hours ago

Average US Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage Dips to 6.64% for the Second Drop in 2 Weeks

5 hours ago

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

U.S. companies had trillions of dollars in value wiped out Thursday after President Donald Trump slapped sweeping tariffs on foreign imports...

3 minutes ago

3 minutes ago

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

7 minutes ago

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seated right, gives a thumbs-up alongside his wife Lisa Oz, seated left, with friends and family after he testified at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP/Ben Curtis)
1 hour ago

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

3 hours ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

Vice President Mike Pence hands the electoral certificate from the state of Arizona to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as he presides over a joint session of Congress as it convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP File)
3 hours ago

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

3 hours ago

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a joint news conference with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)
4 hours ago

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
5 hours ago

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend