Fox News host Sean Hannity blamed liberal politicians for the actions of two would-be assassins of former President Donald Trump and falsely claimed they were Democrats.
On Sunday, authorities apprehended Ryan Wesley Routh after the Secret Service said an agent noticed him with a rifle near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Officials say Routh had been camped out there for about 12 hours before an agent shot at him. The suspect drove off and was apprehended on the highway shortly after. Secret Service said Routh did not have “line of sight” on the former president and did not fire his weapon.
The incident came two months after Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, got off several shots and grazed Trump, killed one rally-goer, and wounded two others before being shot to death by Secret Service.
Routh is registered as an “unaffiliated” voter in North Carolina and donated more than $100 on ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform. According to CNN, Routh indicated on Facebook he may have voted for Trump in 2016, but had soured on the former president. Crooks, meanwhile, was a registered Republican and made a small donation on ActBlue. He had also searched for locations where Trump and President Joe Biden were scheduled to appear.
Republicans have laid the blame on Democrats, saying their rhetoric about Trump has put the former president in danger. Specifically, they have taken issue with Democrats calling him a “threat to democracy” after he tried to overturn the 2020 election and inspired the deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 thanks to his false claims of voter fraud.
On Tuesday, Hannity played a montage of prominent Democrats railing against Trump and claiming he wants to be a dictator.
“Democrats, the mob, the media – they lie repeatedly and say Donald Trump is a threat to democracy,” the host said. “What do people think when they hear this? You decide.”
“He is a genuine danger to American security,” said Biden in one clip.
“Donald Trump is an existential that to our democracy and our most fundamental freedoms,” Vice President Kamala Harris stated in another.
“Are they a threat to democracy?” asked her running mate Tim Walz in another excerpt. “Yes. Are they going to take our rights away? Yes.”
In another clip, a guest on MSNBC compared Trump to Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.
“Adolf Hitler,” Hannity responded “Now, two psychotic Democrats took that rhetoric to heart and now tried to murder Donald Trump.”
The host went on to accuse the White House of encouraging violent behavior.
Watch above via Fox News.
Have a tip for us? tips@mediaite.com
Local News
