Thread by @SteveScalise

THREAD:

This is the second time in three years I have seen political violence firsthand. Republicans and Democrats alike must have the moral clarity to call out violent rhetoric whenever it's spoken, not just when it’s politically convenient. wsj.com/articles/polit…

I am still outraged by the domestic terrorism we saw at the Capitol last week, and I condemned it immediately.

Many Democrats who were rightfully quick to condemn last week’s events were noticeably silent over the summer as Americans watched cities go up in flames.

Elected officials and the media have a responsibility to condemn political violence and violent rhetoric across the board.

Selectively condemning it sends a message that cruelty and destruction in the name of political agendas will be celebrated. We must end this dangerous idea.

Both the politically-motivated gunman who shot me on a baseball field and the anarchists who rioted at the Capitol were radicalized by extreme rhetoric.

It would be naive to think that either of these actions occurred in a vacuum.

I reject the notion that Wednesday’s attack was justifiable or that antifa led the mob into the Capitol.

I also reject the notion that the mob’s actions represent the motivations of the millions of Americans who voted for President Trump or the Republican Party.

America settles its differences through debate and democracy, not mob rule and violence.

Republicans and Democrats must come together and resist the urge to throw fuel on the fire.