'Vulnerable' House lawmakers hold safety summit after Trump shooting: 'Pray there aren't crazies there'
The safety of elected officials in today's tense political environment is at the forefront of lawmaker discussions after a shooting at former President Trump's rally.
House Republicans huddled for a somber safety discussion less than 12 hours after the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
House GOP lawmakers spoke with their sergeant at arms via conference call on Sunday afternoon where questions about security at the Republican National Convention dominated discussion.
"I think most are angered by the failure of security yesterday," one House Republican on the call told Fox News Digital.
That lawmaker said they felt safe "overall" but noted they now had local police stationed by their driveway.
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Another House GOP lawmaker said they sensed "low confidence" among members on the call. When asked if they felt that way in relation to the RNC or lawmakers' safety overall, they replied, "All of it."
That second member said they felt "a lot less safe" in the wake of Trump’s shooting.
"Tone was pretty muted and solemn but unified, obviously," a third House GOP lawmaker said of the meeting.
They said they were "comfortable" with their campaign’s security but pointed out that there was always a risk to members who aren’t in leadership.
"The rank and files are generally vulnerable every day we aren’t in the Capitol, unless we have special events with deputies there etc.," that Republican said. "You kind of have to assume a level of risk, unfortunately. And pray there aren’t crazies there that day."
There is renewed scrutiny on the safety of elected officials in the U.S. in the hours after a gunman opened fire at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on Saturday afternoon.
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"Are elected officials safe[?] All you have to [do] is witness the violent [protests] over the last few years where cities have been destroyed, innocent lives have been lost, and anarchy has destroyed our rule of law," Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital via text message.
House Republicans who spoke with Axios said they were taking added "precautions" at events in the near future and "discussing with our security advisors on how to proceed."
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have since called on each other to ease up on divisive rhetoric and called for unity in the wake of the deadly shooting, which killed one rally attendee and saw two others critically injured. The shooter was killed by the Secret Service.
Trump was injured but escorted to safety by Secret Service agents, but not before pumping his fist on the stage and saying "fight" twice.
"We've got to turn the temperature down in this country. We need leaders of all parties on both sides to call that out and make sure that happens so that we can go forward and maintain our free society that we all are blessed to have," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on NBC’s "Today" show on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, released a statement condemning the current political environment, which he said is leading to "a dark and almost hopeless future of diminishing freedom, increasing violence, and growing instability led by unserious people who care more about their own personal well-being than the nation’s."
"In the pursuit of short-term political gain, they are eager to exaggerate our differences and cast their political opponents as diabolical caricatures bent on destroying the country," he said.
