The attempted assassination of Donald Trump increased concerns that progressives are inciting political violence. The social media from attempted assassin Thomas Crooks has not been released, despite the fact authorities instantly confiscated his phone. Initial media reports gloated that he was a registered Republican. However, the founder of Gab said based on Crooks’ posts which Gab provided confidentially to the FBI, "as of 2021, Crooks was a pro-lockdown, pro-immigration, left-wing Joe Biden supporter."
In recent years, Antifa and BLM have compiled a history of violence nationwide. However, due to woke or threatened DAs, after they are arrested, the charges are almost always dropped or never brought at all. Their rioting is dismissed as “peaceful protests.”
Over 90% of the charges against BLM nationwide related to the 2020 riots were dismissed, according to Truthout. In San Francisco, 100% of the cases were dropped. Without citing any evidence, such as reading police reports, the article speculated, “Such a high percentage suggests that the police may have been arresting people simply to suppress dissent.”
But according to The New York Post, “Former NYPD Chief of Patrol Wilbur Chapman said that the district attorneys’ offices and the courts had ‘allowed people who committed crimes to go scot-free.’”
In Arizona, charges against Antifa rioters were dismissed in 2022 after ABC-15 broadcasted negative coverage of law enforcement. ABC-15 credited their reporting with the reason for the dismissal. “On February 12, 2021, MCAO dismissed the gang charges against protesters following a week of intense scrutiny because of ABC15’s reporting,” the news site said. The station interviewed the rioters and portrayed them as peaceful protesters.
Conservative journalist Andy Ngo has covered much of Antifa’s violence, especially in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. He was a victim himself several times. “I suffer the long-term effects of the brain injury from their assault in 2019,” he said. He said in an interview in May that “the American far-left has developed a machine-like program to incite and organize political violence.”
Fox News reported in May 2021 regarding the Portland rioters that “[o]f those pleading guilty, only one person is headed to prison, and he was caught red-handed … setting fire to the Justice Center with his shirt off and his name tattooed on his back.” Most of the cases were expected to end in dismissal.
There has been a surge in political violence against prominent conservatives in recent years. Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA-01) was shot and seriously wounded by an anti-Trump activist in 2017. A man showed up with weapons intending to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was attacked by a neighbor in 2017 who disliked his politics. Paul suffered multiple broken ribs and underwent lung and hernia surgeries that he linked to the attack.
A 2023 survey found that public support for using force to coerce members of Congress increased most among Democrats. Similarly, the percentage of Democrats that “supports violence to restore the federal right to abortion” doubled to 16%. In contrast, only 7 percent of those surveyed expressed support for using violence to restore Trump to the presidency.
The mainstream media generates sympathetic stories about leftists threatened by people allegedly on the right, but ignores those on the right who regularly receive death threats. A Tucson man who threatened Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers was sentenced to two and a half years in prison last year.
A video issued from Trump’s legal team went viral that compiled numerous clips of prominent Democrats calling for violence. Rick Wilson of The Lincoln Project, which targets conservatives, said, “You’re still going to have to put a bullet in Donald Trump.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11) asked “why there aren’t uprisings all over the country, maybe there will be.” Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) said, “I will go and take Trump out tonight” and called for people to violently confront Trump officials in public.
Former Michigan legislator Cynthia A. Johnson said, “for those of you who are soldiers, make them pay” in reference to “Trumpers.” Madonna said she thought “a lot about blowing up the White House” when Trump was president. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) said that includes fighting “in the streets.” Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) said in a campaign video that he will “fight anyone who isn’t doing their job for us,” then switched to a photo of himself driving with his rifle behind him. Joe Biden has repeatedly said he wants to “beat the hell” out of Trump.
Yet, Democrats frequently accuse Republicans of attempting to stoke violence with their statements. Democrats point to inflammatory rhetoric used by some on the right, but that rhetoric doesn’t lead to violence, remaining hyperbole.
Democrats claim Trump incited a “violent insurrection” on J6 by telling protesters, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard today.”
When Republicans point to the violence of Antifa and BLM as evidence of the left’s violence, all Democrats can point to is J6. Frontpage Mag noted that The Washington Post “keeps up a steady drumbeat of fear-mongering editorials warning of rage and retribution from Trump ‘militants.’” The article also observed that big tech like Google filters out results of “left-wing violence” in searches for “political violence.”
Most of the J6 protesters who have been prosecuted merely entered the U.S. Capitol building believing the Capitol Police were allowing them lawful entrance. Not one has been charged with insurrection. J6 protesters like Jake Lang who were charged with assaulting police officers have said they were violent in order to save other J6 protesters who were being trampled due to the police pushing back on them. The Supreme Court ruled in June that protesters who entered the U.S. Capitol building could not be charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, which could result in dismissal of charges against over 300 J6 defendants.
Sadly, as long as big tech and the MSM continue to whitewash leftist violence, much of the dangerous increase will fly under the radar.
Reprinted from Townhall