Georgia Delegate to the RNC talks security and rhetoric changes in a contentious political season

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — In the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Trump’s life, security is a front and center topic for those attending the Republican National Convention.

Long time Republican Party activist and Columbus resident, Alton Russell, is one of the 59 official delegates from Georgia who attended the convention. He has been to five conventions as a delegate or alternate expected security to be tight.

“They’re saying that they’ve not increased any security. But it’s obvious that they have.  We had a just a little party last night — a welcome to Milwaukee — and they had seven or eight, you know things that you walk through to check your bags,” says Russell. “Security is a little bit tougher than than I think they than they had planned. We’ve got a security guy, a Secret Service guy on the bus with us as we go from one place to another.”

In addition to heightened security at the convention, the assassination attempt has drawn universal condemnation of political violence.

Sen. Ed Harbison, a Vietnam Veteran who remembers the assassinations and political unrest of the 1960s agrees with those condemnations. Harbison said the attempt on the former president’s life brought back painful memories.

“It is something that should be universally condemned. It is just reprehensible. And we should be reminded of what America is all about. People have a right to free speech and that kind of thing, but there is a line. And what happened there is just— I can’t say anything but reprehensible and should never be repeated. And we should all be  standing guard against that kind of action anywhere at any time and condemn it for what it is, an assassin. It’s just something about that word just brings up, conjures up thoughts of evil doings and that kind of thing.”

Senator Ed Harbison, D-Columbus

The wake of Saturday’s events there has been call for everyone to tamp down the rhetoric in a contentious political season. Russell hopes people will take a step back and try to turn down the heat.

“Hopefully to tone down the rhetoric and somebody or whoever it is or quit saying that Trump is our next Hitler and he’s going to destroy civilization and he’s going to destroy democracy.  You know, I think they need to tone that down. And I think I think Trump is saying is that he’s rewriting his Thursday night speech to start to move more towards unity. So I hope that’s what he’s going to do. And I expect that he will.”

Alton Russell, Georgia Delegate to the RNC

The RNC has just begun, with the Georgia delegation hearing from Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed this morning. Tomorrow morning, they are expecting to hear from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

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