According to Congressman Brad Wenstrup and first reported by POLITICOThe FBI has classified the motive behind the attempted murder of Republicans practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in 2017 as “suicide by officer.”
Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) revealed a previously undisclosed finding during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Thursday, rebuking FBI Director Christopher Wray and prompting several colleagues from both parties to join him. He said FBI agents privately informed the baseball team on Nov. 16, 2017, of the controversial finding.
“To our surprise that day, the FBI determined that this was a case of an attacker attempting suicide by cop,” Wenstrup said. “Director, if you want a cop to commit suicide, just point your gun at him. You don’t need 136 bullets. It takes one bullet. Both DHS and the (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) released products characterizing this attack as a domestic violent extremism event, specifically targeting Republican members of Congress. The FBI didn’t do it.”
Wray did not directly address Wenstrup’s criticism, other than to confirm that he was not FBI director at the time – the position was filled by Andrew McCabe in June 2017 – but said he was grateful to the Capitol Police and Wenstrup’s doctor, who used his knowledge of skills to that day to triage the wounded lawmakers and others who had joined them.
This classification is outrageous considering the facts we know about the suspect, James T. Hodgkinson.
Hodgkinson surveyed the area before the attack and asked specifically whether the people on the field were Republicans.
Rep. DeSantis Live @todayshow says he and Rep. Duncan spoke with the shooter, who asked on the field “if they were Republicans or Democrats.”
— Savannah Guthrie (@SavannahGuthrie) June 14, 2017
After the confirmation, Hodgkinson returned with a rifle and nearly killed Republican Whip Steve Scalise. He injured four other people before he was shot and killed by Capitol Police. He was a Bernie Sanders supporter and worked on his campaign as a volunteer.
Hodgkinson’s views against the Republican Party are detailed in his Secret Service Fileswhich clearly shows the motivation behind the attempted attacks:
-Openly shared his anti-Republican views with friends, family and others; participated in protests; wrote letters to his local newspaper expressing dissatisfaction with economic inequality and taxes; he never threatened
– Emailed and called his Republican congressman at least 10 times to express his disagreement with issues raised by his office
– During the presidential campaign and after the election, others noticed changes in his behavior as he became increasingly disgruntled, livid, and more politically minded. This was evident in his online posts where he called President Trump a traitor, stating, “Time to destroy Trump and Co.” His anger was also evident the day before the attack when he took his van to a service center and the manager mentioned that he had to work six days a week.
– People who knew him reported that the 2016 presidential election had a major impact on Hodgkinson. According to his wife, he was very upset and livid about politics during this election cycle. During the campaign, Hodgkinson was a staunch supporter of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and volunteered for the senator’s campaign in Illinois.
– On March 22, 2017, Hodgkinson posted on his Facebook page that he had signed a Change.org petition calling for the removal of the President and Vice President of the United States from office for treason. He also commented on his post, saying, “Trump is a traitor. Trump has destroyed our democracy. Time to destroy Trump and company.”
