'An Assault On American Democracy Itself': Kevin Kiley Reacts To Attempted Assassination Of Trump

2 months ago

In a video posted to social media, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) reflected on the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, and the impact of political violence on the United States.

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Transcript

00:00This Saturday, our country experienced a terrifying act of political violence, a murder, an attempted

00:06assassination, an assault on American democracy itself.

00:11My prayers are with President Trump and his family, who just endured, and by the grace

00:17of God survived, an unimaginable horror.

00:21Mere centimeters, perhaps a tilt of the head or a gust of wind, made the difference between

00:25life and death.

00:28My prayers are also with the family of Corey Comparatore, a volunteer fire chief and American

00:33hero, who died shielding his family from the gunfire, as well as with the two other victims

00:39who suffered severe injuries.

00:42I am grateful for the many acts of bravery from law enforcement and first responders

00:47at the scene.

00:48To all the men and women in uniform who lay your lives on the line every day, thank you.

00:55You are the best and bravest among us.

00:59At this moment, there are a great many questions.

01:02I am working with Speaker Mike Johnson and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get

01:06immediate answers and make vital changes to assure that nothing like this can ever happen

01:13again.

01:15The apparent ease with which the gunman was able to fire at a former president and presumptive

01:21presidential nominee simply defies comprehension.

01:26It is a fundamental and bewildering security failure that endangered not only former President

01:31Trump's life, but the very foundation of our free and democratic society.

01:38Candidates for national office must be able to present their policies and ideas without

01:44fear that they are taking a mortal risk.

01:47And citizens who choose to participate in the electoral process by attending rallies

01:52and expressing their views must have the same assurance, otherwise democracy cannot work.

01:58We cannot have a society where a single bullet fired by a single deranged individual can

02:04override tens of millions of votes, transforming the parameters of our politics from persuasion

02:11and values to plotting and violence.

02:15The assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s caused America

02:22to make significant changes to the training, techniques, and resources devoted to protecting

02:28presidents and presidential candidates.

02:30A similar moment of reckoning and reform followed the attempted assassination of President Ronald

02:36Reagan in 1981.

02:39In this moment, we face the same urgent task.

02:43To identify what went so wrong and take all necessary steps to fix what is broken.

02:49There is no time for a long, protracted process.

02:53We need immediate answers and immediate change.

02:56The protection of our national leaders, which amounts to the protection of our democracy,

03:01must be ironclad.

03:04There is another imperative in this moment, which I believe is no less urgent.

03:09To come together as a country.

03:12To come together around the values we share as Americans.

03:17When I think about the state of our country, even before this weekend's terror, it's not

03:22just that we're on the wrong track, it's that we're out of sync.

03:26Our political divisions keep getting worse.

03:29It's weakening us, making us less capable of solving problems and building a better

03:35future.

03:37This is a time to remember that our political opponents are not our enemies.

03:43Supporting a different party or presidential candidate should never tear apart the much

03:47deeper kinships of family, community, and country.

03:52Even in America's time of greatest division, Abraham Lincoln, presiding over a country

03:57literally torn apart, called for malice towards none and charity for all.

04:04If we can embrace this spirit, then the tragedy and trauma we have all just lived through

04:10may also present an opportunity to rediscover the rhythm of American civic life, to begin

04:16repairing the fabric of our political community, and to refocus our gaze on the commitments

04:22we share.

04:23To our flag, to our constitution, to the sacred truths of our Declaration of Independence.

04:30We all have a part to play in forming a better American community, and I believe we can rise

04:36to the occasion.

04:38Thank you, and may God bless our country.

'An Assault On American Democracy Itself': Kevin Kiley Reacts To Attempted Assassination Of Trump

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