Two vocal critics of President Trump on Thursday suggested his tough talk regarding the press lead to the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis[1], Maryland where five individuals were murdered and others seriously injured.
Also on Thursday, conservative commentator Milo Yiannapolis backtracked from comments he made just one day before the shooting. Mr. Yiannapolis reportedly told two reporters that he “can’t wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists.”
Shortly after a gunman open fired in the Capital Gazette newsroom, Mr. Yiannapolis said he was merely trolling hostile journalists. But even as he tried to walk back his statement, he still accused the press of blowing the comments out of proportion.
“You’re about to see a raft of news stories claiming that I am responsible or inspiring the deaths of journalists,” Mr. Yiannapolis wrote in a Facebook post. “The truth, as always is, the opposite of what the media tells you.”
“I sent a troll about ‘vigilante death squads’ as a *private* response to a few hostile journalists who were asking me for comment, basically as a way of saying, ‘F—k off.’ and they published it,” he continued. “Amazed they were pretending to take my joke as a ‘threat,’ I reposted these stories on Instagram to mock them - and to make it clear that I wasn’t being serious.”
Mr. Yiannapolous reportedly sent Davis Richardson, a reporter for the Observer, and Daily Beast reporter Will Sommer, text messages saying: “I can’t wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight.”
SEE ALSO: Milo Yiannopoulos on ‘gunning journalists down’ remark: ‘I regret nothing I said’ [2]
The shooter is in custody, but authorities have not yet released the gunman’s name or a motive. However, that has not stopped two frequent foes of Mr. Trump from seizing on rhetoric from the president disparaging the press.
In January 2017, Mr. Trump accused the press of being an “enemy of the people.” He also frequently dismisses negative stories about himself as “fake news.”
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers said Mr. Trump’s “demonization of the press” lead to the shooting. Ms. Weingarten has frequently blasted the president, sparring with him over everything from the appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education to gun violence....
“This is a nightmare….the demonization of the press leading to a shooting of the Press…Just horrible!!!!” she tweeted.At least one member of the press agreed with her. Andrew Feinberg, a White House correspondent for Breakfast Media, who regularly attends press briefings at the White House tweeted at Mr. Trump, “You caused this, Mr. President.”Lindsay Walters, a spokesperson for the President, told reporters the president believes there is “no room for violence” in America.“The White House and the President, and you’ve head Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, say there is no room for violence, and we