Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was pressed Sunday on whether Democrats should tone down rhetoric against President Donald Trump after the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday evening triggered chaos.
When asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” by Dana Bash whether he and other Democrats should reconsider heated, inflammatory language toward Trump, Raskin responded, “What rhetoric do you have in mind?” before adding that he criticizes administration policies rather than making personal attacks.
“I talk about the policies of this administration, the authoritarianism,” Raskin said. “I don’t personalize it.”
Raskin, often a vocal critic of the Trump administration, has previously called for cognitive tests of the president and said Trump has taken a “chainsaw” to the Constitution.
During the interview, Raskin also defended the role of the press and criticized what he described as past attacks on media institutions.
“I think the press are the people’s best friend and that’s why it’s written right there into the First Amendment,” Raskin said. “We need the press to be a vigilant watchdog against every level of government.”
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Raskin was also asked whether he had confidence in FBI Director Kash Patel and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to oversee the investigation into the dinner incident.
“I hope that this investigation is done with complete openness and transparency,” Raskin said.
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The interview began with discussion of the Saturday night incident, after Kerry Kennedy posted on social media that loud noises sent guests to the floor before Secret Service agents rushed into the room. Raskin said he had just arrived and was speaking with Kennedy when chaos broke out.
“I had just come in the room a few minutes before,” Raskin said. “Suddenly there’s loud booms, crashing sounds, plates, silverware, everything flying all over the place.”
Raskin said he immediately thought about Kennedy’s family history after the assassinations of her father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
“I thought immediately about Kerry’s situation, having lost her father in gun violence assassination and her uncle,” Raskin said.
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Blanche said Sunday that the alleged shooter was refusing to help investigators. He also said authorities believe the suspect traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., by train and that additional charges and details were expected after formal filings.
“From what we’ve learned in our preliminary investigation, he’s not actively cooperating,” Blanche said.
Federal authorities have not yet released a full motive as of Sunday morning.
