WV lawmakers condemn violence, call for unity after Trump assassination attempt

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice condemned violence in a Monday press conference about the attempted assassination of current presidential candidate and 45th President Donald Trump.

The attempt happened at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13. Trump was injured, one rallygoer was killed , and two others were seriously injured. The shooter was killed by law enforcement at the scene.

“I never dreamed in my life that what we’d see is what we saw on Saturday,” Justice said. “We saw what I know is a great man, and truly, is doing what he’s doing for all the right reasons. He doesn’t have to do it—but we saw him—Donald J. Trump, nearly assassinated. We saw a miracle. We saw a miracle right in front of our eyes. How could the bullet have really missed his head? I mean, unbelievable the blessing that we saw right in front of our eyes.”

Justice called Trump a “dear friend” multiple times during the conference and called for “the hate” to end.

“We’ve gotta stop the hate and we’ve gotta stop the tolerance allowing and accepting the violence,” Justice said. “Frankly, I do not agree. I do not agree with the path that President Biden has had us on. It seems like the violence is just amped up all over the place all of the time, and the more our judges just let people go right back out onto the streets automatically, the more we condone, the more we condone, the more we’re gonna have.”

Justice called for politicans to “amp down” the rhetoric, and a return to respect.

Justice ended his conference by leading a prayer, saying he knows that God guided the bullet away from Trump.

Dear Heavenly Father, we absolutely feel humbled in your sight, but with all that being said, we thank you. We thank you in every way for the blessings that you bestow on each and every one of us each and every day; but absolutely, I know that God above, that you guided that bullet away from this great man. Our nation is trying to regroup right now. Our nation is trying to heal and move forward. Some way, help us. Some way, give us the strength to do what you know is right.

In those words, in every way, we thank you, almighty God above. In every single way. In Christ, your name. Amen.

Jim Justice’s prayer.

Justice also said he will be attending the Republican National Convention “without one thread of fear.”

On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) released the following statement:

Our nation stands at a critical moment in our history. I love my country and I cannot stand by and watch these events unfold without trying to use my voice. The horrible actions of yesterday are the actions of one man, but they should surprise no one in the toxic political environment we find ourselves in today.

On both sides of the political spectrum, politics has become a race to the extremes. While it takes different forms on the right and the left, make no mistake, extremism is the driving force in both parties today. While each party seeks to serve the most ideological on each side, the sensible majority of America is being alienated and left behind.

Each day, we see increasingly violent language being used to demonize and villainize the other side. No room has been left for discussion or debate. Love of country has been replaced with hate for anyone who professes to support the other party.

But nothing good has ever come from hate. Sadly, one innocent rallygoer is dead and others injured because we have allowed hate speech to become a rallying cry for political violence. We are fortunate that former President Donald Trump was only wounded and will recover.

This should be a wake-up call for all of us. This is a moment where Americans must come together to support the ideals that make our nation great. It is a time to put country before party. On both sides. It is a time to focus on what we are for, not who we are against. It is a time to recognize how close we are to tearing this country apart and to acknowledge how much worse that will be for all Americans.

I am angry, as I know others are, that we are in this position. We must acknowledge that both sides share responsibility for where we are and where we go from here. On both sides, there are groups who seek to impose their own morality on everyone else, as if there were no room in America for people to live together while holding different values. On the right, there are forces that would undermine our democracy to hold onto power. They have already identified a dangerous agenda that they will pursue if given control of all three branches of Congress. And on the left, their actions may just make that one-party control by Republicans a reality. It is increasingly clear that the extremists have captured the party, seeking to pursue policies out of step with, but at the expense of, the majority of Americans.

At a time when the Democratic Party must realize they risk losing the Senate and even the House, in addition to losing the presidency, they are doing nothing to broaden the tent and appeal to more Americans. Instead, they continue to pull the party to the left. Sadly, their vocal support for President Biden in the face of his irreparable debate performance, are just evidence of how much control the far left has over the current administration.

The main reason I became an Independent is because I saw that both parties were failing the sensible majority of people in our country and America is losing as a result. I believe that our political system is broken and I remain committed to finding solutions to fix it.

We cannot fix it if we are only out to serve ourselves. Today, we are playing a zero sum game where one side can only win if the other side loses. But that is not a path to progress nor prosperity. It is a path to more of the darkness we saw yesterday in western Pennsylvania.

Our nation has been successful when we have come together to make reasonable compromises to move our country forward. I hope we can learn that demonizing one another only creates more division, and vitriol will only lead to more violence. I hope both parties can remember that each is here to serve America, not themselves. We all deserve better.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) released the following statement:

Like all Americans, I was shocked and horrified by the assassination attempt on President Trump at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania. I am so thankful that President Trump survived this attack and I conveyed that to him personally. However, I am heartbroken that one individual was killed and others were critically injured while simply exercising their freedoms and coming together in one of our country’s oldest traditions – a rally. I will continue to keep their family members and loved ones in my prayers during this incredibly difficult time. Now more than ever, we need to come together as Americans. Violence of any kind has absolutely no place in our country and I condemn it entirely. Like many Americans, I have questions around this attack and it is important we understand how and why this terrible act of violence occurred.

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