In the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in an interview Sunday that organizations like the recently indicted Southern Poverty Law Center bear some responsibility for the shooting.
"I don't think this should be lost on anyone either, the fact that we have a third assassination attempt on President [Donald] Trump," Jordan said.
"In that same week we learn that the Southern Poverty Law Center has been paying and generating hate, the very hate they're supposed to be fighting, and they've been charged by the Justice Department."
"The left pushing the language and promoting the hate that we now learn that was going on with the Southern Poverty Law Center, I don't think that's lost on anyone either this week," Jordan said.
Jordan noted the Southern Poverty Law Center was the group that labeled organizations like Moms for Liberty and the Family Research Council as extremist hate groups.
"They were supposedly the standard, and now, they find out they were actually paying people to promote the hate that they were supposed to be fighting, to the tune of $3 million," Jordan said.
"This is the stuff that's got to stop," Jordan added.
The chair of the House Judiciary Committee said he supports robust debate and the First Amendment.
"But some of this language is just ridiculous that we see, particularly from the left," Jordan said.
But he believes it all comes back to the allegations against the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"[They were] viewed as the standard, cited by so many in the media as the standard in evaluating what groups are extremist, what groups aren't, and they're actually paying these informants to go inside these hate groups and foment more of it," Jordan said.
"That is just evil. That is just wrong. I think the irony is … they're indicted the very week that we have this third attack on President Trump," Jordan added.
Jordan said he hopes Saturday night's event makes Democrats realize they must fund the Department of Homeland Security.
"I think we could get this all done," Jordan said. "We're the party of common sense; they're the party that takes these crazy positions. It needs to happen as soon as possible."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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