Rep. Mike Turner, a Republican from Ohio who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, responded to Eric Trump’s implication that the attempts on former President Trump’s life were orchestrated by his Democratic opponents. Turner stated that the innuendo was inaccurate and called for political candidates on both sides of the aisle to deescalate their rhetoric. Trump, his son, and their vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance, all acknowledged the assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire on the crowd but was killed by a Secret Service sniper. Another assassination attempt occurred in September when a suspect pointed a gun at Trump on a Florida golf course. The FBI has opened probes into both incidents.
At the campaign event in Butler, Trump claimed that over the past eight years, individuals have slandered, impeached, indicted, and tried to kill him. Eric Trump accused the Democratic party of attempting to kill his father and suggested that they cannot do anything right. Vance referred to Trump as having “taken a bullet for democracy” and addressed Vice President Kamala Harris, implying that she needed to acknowledge that a foreign power was actively trying to kill her opponent. Turner clarified that he did not support Eric Trump’s allegations and called on Harris to acknowledge the threats against Trump and respond to deter future actions. He criticized her for failing to openly condemn the alleged plot against Trump.
The attempts on Trump’s life occurred after a citizen of Pakistan with ties to Iran was arrested and charged with planning a murder-for-hire scheme targeting Trump, among others. Although the timing coincided with the first assassination attempt, there was no indication that the two incidents were related. Turner expressed concern over Iranian plotting and urged all political candidates to deescalate their language. He cited Matthew Olsen, a Biden-Harris Justice Department official, who stated that the U.S. government was intensely tracking Iranian lethal plotting efforts targeting former and current U.S. government officials, including the former president. Turner emphasized the need for all candidates to address threats against public figures and take necessary actions to prevent violence.
Turner’s appearance on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” highlighted the escalating rhetoric in political campaigns and the dangerous implications of implying violence against opponents. He underscored the importance of Harris and other political leaders acknowledging threats against Trump and responding to prevent further attempts on his life. Turner also criticized the lack of condemnation from Harris regarding the alleged plot against Trump and called for a deescalation of language from all candidates. The incidents of attempted violence against Trump underscore the volatile nature of American politics and the need for increased security measures to protect public figures. Turner’s comments serve as a reminder of the threats faced by politicians and the necessity for a unified approach in addressing security concerns in the political arena.
