Last night’s horrific execution-style shootings of 12 Dallas law enforcement officers -- five of whom were killed and seven wounded - is an attack on our country. It is a coordinated, premeditated assault on the men and women who keep us safe.But his campaign rebuked a state campaign chairman who was more inflammatory:
We must restore law and order. We must restore the confidence of our people to be safe and secure in their homes and on the street.
The senseless, tragic deaths of two people in Louisiana and Minnesota reminds us how much more needs to be done.
This morning I offer my thoughts and prayers for all of the victims’ families....
As Donald J. Trump canceled his campaign events in Miami and released a statement in response to the Dallas shootings, his campaign’s Virginia state chairman took to social media and explicitly blamed Hillary Clinton for them.You can't blame Stewart for thinking he was in sync with his candidate -- in the past, he's threatened to deport Trump rally disrupters who happen to be undocumented, and he's joined Trump in denouncing the judge in the Trump University case, misidentifying an organization the judge belongs to:
Corey Stewart, who is also reported to be planning a run for governor in Virginia in 2017, posted on Facebook as news of the shooting was breaking.
“Liberal politicians who label police as racists -- specifically Hillary Clinton and Virginia Lt. Governor Ralph Northam -- are to blame for essentially encouraging the murder of these police officers tonight,” Mr. Stewart wrote.
The Trump campaign condemned Mr. Stewart’s comments.
“Corey does not speak for the campaign and this is not something we agree with,” Hope Hicks, a campaign spokeswoman, wrote in an email.
Stewart told The Washington Post on Thursday that he sides with Trump. And like the Trump campaign, he criticized [U.S. district judge Gonzalo] Curiel for supposed membership in the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group.That apparently was fine with the Trump campaign. But not this.
But Curiel is not a member of the National Council of La Raza. He belongs to the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, an unrelated professional group for Latino lawyers.
Stewart refuses to see the distinction.
“La Raza is a sleazy organization that works to keep criminal illegal immigrants in our neighborhoods,” Stewart wrote on Facebook. “Don’t blame Trump at all for not wanting this judge, who is a member of this disreputable organization, from presiding over his case. He could never be impartial.”
What happened? What have they done with the real Donald Trump?
Maybe it's Newt Gingich's influence -- shockingly, he's also being reasonable about police killings of black people:
Gingrich: "If you are a normal, white American, the truth is you don’t understand being black in America " (@alanhe) pic.twitter.com/U62PTbxTyD
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) July 8, 2016
But there are still ugly thoughts emanating from Trump World:
Donald Trump Jr., Mr. Trump’s son, also has been active on social media since the shooting, retweeting Joe Walsh, the former congressmen and current radio host, sharing a news article that reported that Black Lives Matter protesters had been calling for the killing of police officers on Twitter.Yup:
And Trump's fans on Facebook aren't being measured -- they're preparing for a race war:
\
I can't believe Trump is going to avoid diving into the gutter -- Ivanka and Jared and Paul Manafort may be keeping him in check for now, but he really help himself.
Here's what I predict: Hillary Clinton will be the first candidate to respond at length, and she'll win some praise for what she says. And it will drive Trump nuts. He won't be able to stop himself. He'll let loose, and we'll learn what he really thinks about all this. Which won't be pretty.
