Democrats lash out at GOP after Pelosi assault - POLITICO

“Yesterday, a antheral sharing that member’s rhetoric tried to assassinate the Speaker and her spouse,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Saturday morning. Then, referring to McCarthy, she wrote: “What has @GOPLeader said? Nothing. This is who helium is.”

In the hours aft Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was assaulted, dozens of Republicans — from erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — condemned the onslaught and wished him a speedy recovery.

The effect from McConnell’s House GOP counterpart was much muted. Rather than McCarthy issuing a connection himself, a spokesperson for the GOP person provided statements to reporters erstwhile asked, but nary that person yet been posted to his societal media accounts arsenic different Republicans did. (A McCarthy spokesperson said connected Friday: “Leader McCarthy reached retired to the Speaker to cheque successful connected Paul and said he’s praying for a afloat betterment and is thankful they caught the assailant.”)

On Saturday, McCarthy expanded connected that connection successful an interrogation with Breitbart radio, condemning the unit and saying what happened to Paul Pelosi was “wrong.”

“I reached retired to the Speaker. I called her, I cognize she was connected a level to California, but I was capable to substance with her to archer her astir our prayers for Paul. Thankfully he’s gonna beryllium OK,” McCarthy said.

“But thankfully the attacker — he’s a deranged idiosyncratic — but thankfully helium is arrested,” helium continued. “And we’ve watched this with Lee Zeldin, we’ve watched this with Supreme Court Justices, this is incorrect — unit should not go. You ticker what happened to Steve Scalise and others. This has got to stop.”

Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), the No. 2 House Republican, offered a much forceful effect Friday, tweeting from his account: “Disgusted to perceive astir the horrific battle connected Speaker Pelosi’s hubby Paul” earlier adding: “Let’s beryllium clear: Violence has nary spot successful this country.”

Political unit is idiosyncratic for Scalise. He suffered life-threatening injuries aft a politically motivated gunman opened occurrence connected Scalise and a radical of different House Republicans who were practicing for the legislature shot crippled successful 2017. The third-ranking House Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), besides issued a statement, calling for the assailant to “be prosecuted to the fullest grade of the law.”

Both Omar and Ocasio-Cortez are among the GOP’s astir fashionable governmental targets, often appearing alongside Pelosi successful onslaught ads against Democrats. All 3 women person spoken astir the escalation of threats they’ve faced successful the Donald Trump era.

For Ocasio-Cortez, that included an anime video created past twelvemonth by a chap subordinate of Congress, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), that shows him sidesplitting her. Gosar was aboriginal censured by the House, and portion McCarthy privately told members it was wrong, helium did not ballot to punish his colleague.

In her Saturday tweet, Ocasio-Cortez said: “@GOPLeader defended him.”

The blasted didn’t halt astatine McCarthy. Another Democrat, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), started a Twitter spat with the firebrand GOP lawmaker, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), aft helium was unsatisfied with her condemnation of the Pelosi attack.

“YOU called for Nancy Pelosi to beryllium executed, @RepMTG,” an irate McGovern wrote. “YOU said she should beryllium hung for treason.”

The onslaught comes successful the last 2 weeks of a tense midterm election, wherever some Republicans and Democrats person vilified their opponents successful run ads. And Democrats accidental it’s that rhetoric — the GOP’s demonization of Pelosi successful decades of ads — that has escalated threats against her and her family.

For instance, the House GOP’s apical ace PAC has highlighted oregon mentioned Pelosi successful astatine slightest 29 TV ads successful the past week alone, according to Democrats tracking the issue. In all, Pelosi was mentioned successful 860 ads since the commencement of this midterm cycle.

The accused assailant, a 42-year-old California man, had asked “Where is Nancy?” earlier his battle of her husband.

President Joe Biden connected Friday evening directly tied those words to chants from pro-Trump rioters arsenic they overran the Capitol analyzable connected Jan. 6, 2021.

“We request to accidental it retired loud,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.). “Militia maniacs, and different rightwing home terrorists person exploded due to the fact that Republicans person spent years winking, nodding, and endorsing their extremism.”

Olivia Beavers and Ally Mutnick contributed.