Ellison Dares Twitter To Show Evidence of Mean Bernie Bros, GOP Rep Who Got Shot by One Obliges
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise completely dismantled Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Thursday after Ellison asked for examples of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’ supporters “being bad.”
Ellison, a Democrat, tweeted Wednesday, “I have never seen @BernieSanders supporters being unusually mean or rude. Can someone send me an example of a ‘Bernie Bro’ being bad.”
I have never seen @BernieSanders supporters being unusually mean or rude. Can someone send me an example of a “Bernie Bro” being bad. Also, are we holding all candidates responsible for the behavior of some of their supporters? Waiting to hear.
— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) February 20, 2020
Scalise, who was shot by a supporter of Sanders in 2017, responded, “I can think of an example.”
I can think of an example. https://t.co/KwuvyYgyGw
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) February 20, 2020
Scalise was likely referring to the infamous 2017 shooting in which he almost lost his life.
The Louisiana Republican was practicing with some of his colleagues for the annual congressional baseball game on June 14, 2017, in Alexandria, Virginia, when he was shot, along with four other people, by James Hodgkinson, according to CNN.
Hodgkinson approached the park and reportedly asked if there were any Republicans on the baseball field. After learning that congressional Republicans were indeed practicing, he opened fire on them, USA Today reported.
Scalise, who was House majority whip at the time, was shot in the hip and critically injured. After a lengthy recovery, he returned to Congress in September 2017 for the first time since the shooting, according to Politico.
Hodgkinson was killed during a shootout with police, but not before he wounded Scalise and the others, two of whom were members of the U.S. Capitol Police force.
Hodgkinson had previously volunteered for senator Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign in Iowa.
Sanders has faced heavy criticism recently in the media and from rival Democrats after some of his online supporters, who are commonly referred to as “Bernie Bros,” allegedly harassed members of Nevada’s Culinary Union.
Two of the union’s top officials say they received harassing and threatening messages by phone and online from Sanders supporters over their reservations about the Vermont senator’s “Medicare for All” proposal, The Nevada Independent reported.
While no candidate can be held accountable for the behavior of each and every one of their supporters, Ellison, who is a campaign surrogate for Sanders, walked right into this one.
And Twitter users were quick to agree:
Just shut twitter down today. It’s over after this epic tweet.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) February 20, 2020
Scalise just dunked on @keithellison.
HARD. pic.twitter.com/IMPQwlRfOl— Trumpus Magamus (@CheesyPewfs) February 20, 2020
@SteveScalise you win twitter today.Thank God and so glad you are doing well!
— Arielle Pruitt (@AriellePruitt7) February 20, 2020
Ugh I’m so sorry that you EVEN HAVE TO TYPE THIS.
— Tracy Beanz (@tracybeanz) February 20, 2020
I feel uncomfortable awarding Twitter to a Republican for the day.
— Willie Everstop (@WillieEverstop) February 20, 2020
Sanders was grilled during Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas over the alleged abuse by his supporters.
“I think you have to accept some responsibility and ask yourself what it is about your campaign in particular that seems to be motivating this behavior more than others,” rival candidate Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, told Sanders, according to the New York Post.
Sanders, of course, floated the possibility that the “Russians,” and not his supporters, might somehow be involved in the controversy.
“All of us remember 2016, and what we remember is efforts by Russians and others to try to interfere in our election and divide us up,” Sanders said, according to CNBC. “I’m not saying that’s happening, but it would not shock me.”
Sanders also said he would be willing to “disown” supporters who are guilty of harassment.
“And if there are a few people who make ugly remarks, who attack trade union leaders, I disown those people. They are not part of our movement,” he said.
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