OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sounded what appeared to be a hypocritical tone on Friday following an incident involving the FBI field office in Cincinnati.
According to reports, Ricky Walter Shiffer, 42, a former U.S. Navy member and Florida Army National Guardsman with top-secret clearance, was shot and killed by police after attempting to break into the field office using a nail gun.
Reports said Shiffer fled the scene after his unsuccessful break-in and was pursued by Ohio State Police. He briefly exchanged gunfire with officers and was later killed after unsuccessful attempts to subdue him using non-lethal methods.
Shiffer was reportedly angry about the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this week, according to posts he allegedly wrote on Truth Social.
During a press conference, the California Democrat ripped Trump for “instigating assaults on law enforcement,” and went on to cast aspersions at Republicans generally over the incident.
Per Mediaite:
Q: The attack against the FBI office, or apparent attack against the FBI office in Ohio, how concerned are you about an increased level of violence against law enforcement, against public officials? And are you concerned that some of the rhetoric from the former President could be to blame for some of those increased threats?
PELOSI: Thank you for your question. Now, the – we need no more evidence than a presidential incitement of an insurrection on the Capitol to know about causing concern about the safety of Members of Congress, of our Capitol, of our Constitution and of our law enforcement.
We – on Tuesday, we had a conference with the Members. It was a Zoom Caucus with our Members where we had a presentation on enhanced security for Members and their staff and families, and in an unemotional, serious way, recognizing that this inflaming of situations that have no basis in truth even and are in disregard of the responsibilities of law enforcement. So, yes.
But again, we have to be – there are no guarantees. We sign up for this. We have to do our jobs. I know very well how vicious they can be for a long time now, but certainly enhanced, if that’s the word, exacerbated by the statements of the President.
You would think there would be an adult in the Republican room that would say, ‘Just calm down, see what the facts are, and let’s go for that,’ instead of, again, instigating assaults on law enforcement.
However, earlier this summer, Pelosi dismissed concerns that conservative Supreme Court justices were in danger following an assassination plot against Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Following a weekly press conference, she stopped to address a shouted inquiry from a reporter: “You said the justices are protected, but there was an attempt on Justice Kavanaugh’s life.”
“And he’s protected,” Pelosi fired back. “He’s protected. The justices are protected.”
The New York Post reported:
Congressional Republicans have urged the House to approve a Senate-passed bill that would give the nation’s leading jurists and their families the same level of security as legislators and White House officials. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent, but the measure has languished before the House for the past month.
Early Wednesday morning, 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske was arrested near Kavanaugh’s Maryland home and later charged with attempted murder of a Supreme Court Justice.
Following his arrest, Roske allegedly told an FBI agent that he was upset about a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling and the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 kids and two teachers.
Republicans were outraged by Pelosi’s dismissiveness.
“House Democrats are leaving, today they want to leave for a long weekend … I spoke to the majority leader [Steny Hoyer] this morning. I told him nobody on this side would object to unanimous consent,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) railed on the House floor. “He could run that bill to the floor right now and send it to the president so we can protect the Supreme Court.”
“How many times do they have to be threatened? How many people have to be arrested with a gun outside their home? What would have happened had he not called 911?” added McCarthy, in reference to Roske. “He didn’t just have a gun. He had zip ties. But somehow you want to leave. This bill could be on the president’s desk right now.”
