Horrible news broke Sunday afternoon as details emerged of the vicious firebombing of the Orange County GOP Head Quarters in North Carolina. Nobody was killed in the attack, which is being described as a “political terrorism,” although the office itself was lost. According to authorities “Nazi Republicans get out of town or else” was spray-painted on a building close to the attack, but that didn’t stop CNN’s Brian Stelter from concluding Donald Trump’s “over heated the rhetoric” was what caused the attack.
During a segment on CNN’s Newsroom, the panel Stelter was on was discussing the recent series of death threats being received by an Arizona newspaper. “So the Arizona Republic getting so many death threats over an endorsement is an example of how over heated the rhetoric is,” Stelter then pivoted, “Another example out of North Carolina today, the firebombing of a local GOP office.”
“We have no idea who has done this. We don’t know if it’s a Republican, a Democrat, a movement. No idea. Could be some core of extremists, some sort of radical,” Stelter rambled on. But according to a report by The Hill, two hours before Stelter was on air, authorities found the graffiti labeling local Republicans as Nazis. That’s not really a term Republicans like to call each other oddly enough, it’s usually a term flung by the left.
“But that kind of action is unacceptable,” Stelter stated before setting his sights on Trump. “And we need to have the temperature come down on all sides right now,” he opined, “Unfortunately, Donald Trump is the lead in terms of raising the temperature at this moment in time.”
Stelter was silent in April, 2015 after his CNN colleague Marc Lamont Hill praised the Baltimore riots as an “uprising” against “police terrorism.” Yet, he was quick to jump to the conclusion that Trump’s rhetoric causes such events.
Transcript below:
CNN
Newsroom
October 16, 2016
5:11:38 PM EasternPOPPY HARLOW: Brian, the biggest newspaper in Arizona that came out-- has always endorsed Republicans came out this year a few weeks ago endorse Hillary Clinton. And now what is happening to them and their staff now is unbelievable.
BRIAN STELTER: Yes, a number of death threats. This morning, the paper responded to that, explaining what they are doing about it, what they're saying about it. You know, virtually every major newspaper that endorsed a candidate so far has endorsed Clinton. Especially in red states, which is the surprising part of this. We haven't seen this kind of one-sided, sort of, endorsement situation in an election season like this before.
So the Arizona Republic getting so many death threats over an endorsement is an example of how over heated the rhetoric is. Another example out of North Carolina today, the firebombing of a local GOP office.
HARLOW: Yeah.
STELTER: We have no idea who has done this. We don’t know if it’s a Republican, a Democrat, a movement. No idea. Could be some core of extremists, some sort of radical. Hopefully we'll get more information soon. But that kind of action is unacceptable. And we need to have the temperature come down on all sides right now. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is the lead in terms of raising the temperature at this moment in time.
