On the very same day that Hillary Clinton was the target of a pipe-bomb attack, hours later Donald Trump supporters chanted “Lock Her Up!” at a rally, Newsweek is reporting.
On Wednesday, pipe bombs were discovered at the homes and offices of Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as billionaire Democrat donor George Soros. Suspicious packages were also sent to former President Barack Obama, Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California, Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, former Attorney General Eric Holder, CNN ‘s New York offices, and Former CIA Director John Brennan. Fortunately, nobody was harmed in any of the incidents.
All of those people, and media outlet CNN , have been frequent targets of Donald Trump’s criticism.
Hours later, as the Secret Service and FBI investigated the pipe bombs, Donald Trump held a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin. The crowd, while waiting for Trump into arrive, burst into the familiar chant. The chant has been a part of Trump’s rallies going all the way back to his 2016 campaign, and continues to be popular today.
Trump, for his part, continued to denounce the media’s reporting on him, even as FBI agents were combing the offices of CNN ‘s New York studio for evidence.
“The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories. Have to do it.”
Tonight: Trump crowd chants “lock her up” after bomb mailed to Hillary Clinton pic.twitter.com/X4ZiqONhH3
— The Beat with Ari Melber ? (@TheBeatWithAri) October 24, 2018
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, among others, was quick to denounce the chants.
“This is Trump’s Republican Party, folks. Hours after the attempted assassination of Hillary Clinton, we’re back to this.”
Also during Wednesday’s rally, Republican Senate candidate Leah Vukmir got the crowd booing against the media, claiming that they are failing to report that Trump is supposedly donating his paychecks as president to various veterans’ issues, according to Canada’s Global News . In fact, according to a Snopes analysis of the claims of Trump’s donations, Trump claims to have donated more paychecks to more causes than are mathematically possible, including to some causes that didn’t even exist at the time he claims to have donated them. Snopes does detail, however, that Trump has donated his entire presidential paycheque — at least up until the present day — as promised.
As for Wednesday’s mass pipe-bomb campaign, as of this writing authorities have no leads and no suspects.
JUST IN: Police investigate suspicious package addressed to Robert De Niro.
The package has similar markings as pipe bomb packages recently mailed nationwide to top Democrats https://t.co/QlTZIibpvp pic.twitter.com/hCmbx6BRCR
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 25, 2018
The bombs were sent in a political climate in which the hatred and division between the two partisan sides has never been more pronounced. Several Trump administration officials have found themselves surrounded by protesters disrupting their meals at restaurants, something which has happened to at least one Democrat as well. Trump supporters and protesters have had violent clashes outside of his rallies. And last summer, a right-wing rally in West Virginia turned deadly when a right-wing protester drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing a woman.