Trump condemns attempted bombings
WASHINGTON — New York’s leaders pleaded for civility in America’s political discourse Wednesday as Democrats and progressives across the country found themselves confronting a barrage of crude package bombs aimed squarely at the critics and rivals of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Former CIA director John Brennan and ex-attorney general Eric Holder joined former president Barack Obama, past presidential challenger Hillary Clinton and billionaire Democratic philanthropist George Soros as would-be recipients of packages containing what authorities described as crude pipe bombs.
The package addressed to Brennan was sent care of CNN’s New York bureau, prompting a chaotic morning of must-see TV live from the streets of Manhattan as police evacuated the Time Warner Center and cordoned off several city blocks.
“This is a very painful time in our nation; people are feeling a lot of hatred in the air,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who described the incident as an “act of terror.”
“This atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making to turn to violence, there’s no question about it. And the way to stop that is to turn back the other way, to bring down the temperature, to end any messages about the use of violence against people we disagree with,” he said. “And that has to start at the top.”
But the president, who spoke at a White House event showcasing a new bipartisan measure to address the opioid crisis, preferred to put the perpetrators on notice than explore root causes.
“The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice; we will spare no resources or expense in this effort,” he said.
“In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.”
Oddly, it was actually Melania Trump — the president’s wife has made opioid addiction one of her primary causes as first lady — who spoke first, uttering the Trump administration’s first public comments on the matter.
“We cannot tolerate those cowardly attacks, and I strongly condemn all who choose violence,” she said. “I’m grateful to the Secret Service and federal and local law enforcement for all they do on a daily basis to keep us safe and to encourage people across the country to choose kindness over hatred.”
Earlier in the day, press secretary Sarah Sanders and VicePresident Mike Pence both tweeted written statements condemning the attacks, but Trump was strangely silent, offering only a retweet of Pence with the exclamation, “I agree completely!”