Law enforcement and medical personnel had just barely responded to the scene of the shooting this morning when speculation regarding the shooter ramped up to infinity. Prior to President Trump’s statement, we knew that the shooter had been taken to a nearby hospital.

President Trump is correct. 

Trump says in a televised statement from the White House that while the political parties may have their differences, it’s worth remembering that everyone who serves in Washington is here because they love the United States.

Trump says everyone can agree that we are “blessed to be Americans” and that we are strongest when “we work together for the common good.”

The President went on to announce that the shooter had died in the hospital from his injuries. No sooner had that information been made public, then we also found out that the shooter was one James T. Hodgkinson of Belleview, Illinois.

Needless to say, he was not a nice guy. We are now finding out that his social media feeds were chock full of hateful rhetoric against all Republicans and specifically against President Donald Trump. This is what he posted on Facebook 2 days ago – Language Alert:

“I Want to Say Mr. President, for being an ass hole you are Truly the Biggest Ass Hole We Have Ever Had in the Oval Office,” he wrote on Facebook.

Oh but that’s not all. He was an active member of many anti-Republican Facebook groups including one titled “Terminate The Republican Party.” Lovely. 

Furthermore, he volunteered for Bernie Sander’s Presidential campaign. Specifically in Iowa and by all descriptions was a ‘passionate progressive.’ While many described him as seemingly mild-mannered and didn’t indicate he was prone to violence, police reports show otherwise.

Over the years, Hodgkinson has had multiple scrapes with local police and disputes with neighbors and his daughter, records show.

Police most recently encountered Hodgkinson on March 24, records from the St. Clair County Sheriff show. The sheriff received a phone call reporting about 50 shots “in the pine trees” in a lightly populated area near Belleville.

Hodgkinson and his wife were arrested in 2006 and charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and domestic battery. 

Of course, many immediately jumped on the fact that this guy was a major Bernie Sanders supporter and started the blame game.

Senator Sanders was having none of that.

Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. pic.twitter.com/hyfmmpgXML

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 14, 2017

He made the exact same statement on the Senate floor.

He is right. Violence of any kind is unacceptable. So what if you don’t like what a politician has to say or what that politician stands for! Violence. Does. Not. Solve. The. Problem.

Keep in mind that this type of condemnation from Bernie Sanders isn’t new. He was equally vehement about the violent protestors who shut down Ann Coulter from speaking at Berkeley.

“I don’t like this. I don’t like it,” Sanders told The Huffington Post after speaking at a rallyfor Omaha mayoral candidate Heath Mello on Thursday night. “Obviously Ann Coulter’s outrageous ― to my mind, off the wall. But you know, people have a right to give their two cents-worth, give a speech, without fear of violence and intimidation.”

That right that Senator Sanders speaks of? It’s called the First Amendment. Under this Republic, we are granted the privilege of having differing points of view on the same subject. What we are NOT given is license to decide who gets to speak and who must be shut up, shut down, or shot because one doesn’t agree with their stance.

I applaud Senator Sanders for his statement and join him in his condemnation of the shooter. There is no excuse for the shooter’s actions and what he did was indeed sickening.