Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and other House Republicans introduced a resolution on Thursday to condemn Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for inflammatory rhetoric that may have contributed to the assassination attempt on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“Rhetoric that incites violence toward any elected or appointed member of the three branches of our constitutional government is dangerous and condemnable,” Biggs said in a press release. “Unfortunately, Senator Schumer does not understand how his volatile language may potentially incite violent conduct, something that is made more likely as he is the leader of his party in the Senate.”
Biggs said he will always fight to protect free speech; however, in this instance, he argues the threatening words Schumer used against Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh have no place in the US Congress.
“Many of Senator Schumer’s colleagues and the Chief Justice have condemned him for his comments and yet he still refuses to apologize. That is why I am introducing this resolution to send a message that Schumer’s threatening rhetoric has no place in the U.S. Congress. I hope my colleagues will join me on this resolution,” Biggs said.
Illinois Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL-15), a co-sponsored Biggs’s resolution, also spoke on its importance.
“House Democrats speak about ‘attacks on our Democracy,’ but they refused to protect Supreme Court Justices from violent left-wing terrorists trying to assassinate them to prevent court decisions they don’t like. President Biden, Chuck Schumer, and other Democrat leaders have encouraged protests outside of the homes of Supreme Court Justices and I am signing onto a resolution to condemn Chuck Schumer for his words of violence that may have led to the attempted murder of Justice Brett Kavanaugh,” Miller said in Biggs’s press release.
Biggs also tweeted the introduction of this resolution.
I’ve introduced a resolution today that condemns Chuck Schumer’s inflammatory rhetoric.
His rhetoric may have contributed to the assassination attempt of Justice Kavanaugh and could endanger the lives of other Justices and government officials that disagree with him. pic.twitter.com/dllP5NRnjd
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) June 9, 2022
The resolution provides the specific quote Biggs condemned Schumer for saying.
“I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” said Schumer.
The resolution outlines that Schumer should formally apologize to Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch for the threats and make a public statement that threats toward any Federal Government officials are never appropriate for anyone.
As reported by the Arizona Sun Times, the assassination attempted on Justice Kavanaugh occurred on Wednesday.
Nicholas John Roske, 26, from California, is the would-be assassin. Roske arrived at Kavanaugh’s residence with a backpack and suitcase. After being tipped off, officials apprehended Roske and found a tactical knife, a pistol and ammunition, pepper spray, and a screwdriver, amongst other potential weapons, in Roske’s baggage.
According to the criminal complaint against Roske, he told detectives that he was upset after the leaked Supreme Court Draft regarding abortion rights and the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Roske indicated that killing Kavanaugh would give his life purpose and that he planned to kill Kavanaugh as well as himself with the items found in his backpack and suitcase.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Andy Biggs” by U.S. Congress. Photo “Chuck Schumer” by U.S. Senate Photographic Studio/Jeff McEvoy. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol Building” by GPA Photo Archive.