With campaign rhetoric hitting a fever’s pitch before the Nov. 8 Midterm elections, an unknown terrorist mailed explosive devices to CNN, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama and billionaire Democrat donor George Soros. All have in common symbols of progressive causes, the target of no doubt some deranged right wing extremist. With the Midterm elections drawing near, the message was clear to Democrats: Stay away from the polls on Election Day. Finding a pipe bomb delivered to Time Warner Center housing CNN in Columbus Circle, Manhattan, sent the clear message that a right wing nut job was terrorizing the anti-Trump cable network. Dominating the headlines, the pipe-bomb packages stole news from the Midterm elections. Without rebuking his base, President Donald Trump condemned the attempted assault on liberal icons.
Trump left no room for ambiguity condemning the attempted assault on the liberal establishment. “Acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States,” Trump told the press. “This egregious conduct is abhorrent.” Yet Trump could just wonder what kind of right wing nut would cobble together explosives and send them to Democrat icons? FBI officials said all packages and bomb-making material appeared to come from the same person or group, according to John Miller, head of the NYPD’s intelligence and counterintelligence department. Miller once headed the LAPD’s counter-terrorism task force under former Police Chief Bill Bratton. Secret Service confirmed that all packages to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton were intercepted before reaching their homes, utilizing an appropriate anti-terrorism protocol.
Sending packages to CNN in Manhattan, George Soros in Westchester County, the Clinton in Chappaqua, N.Y., the Obama’s in Washington, D.C., shows the extent of the hatred toward liberal causes. CNN’s package contained a live-ammo pipe bomb addressed to former CIA Director John Brennen, a frequent anti-Trump CNN critic. “We will not rest until we stop these hazardous devices from being mailed and bring the individual or individuals to justice,” said Bryan Paarmann, the FBI’s chief counter-terrorism official in New York. FBI officials confirmed they were investigating suspicious packages sent to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fl.), though none of the packages found so far contain explosives. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his office received a similar package but no explosives were found. “We will not allow these terrorist things to change the way we live our lives,” Cuomo said.
Sending pipe bombs in the mail qualifies as a terrorist act, not just a threat under anti-terrorism laws. Federal, state and local law enforcement promised to investigate these terrorist acts on the highest priority. “These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent to the law,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. When you consider who’s capable of such acts, it points toward some white nationalist, who’s threatened by the prospects of losing the House or Senate to Democrats. Sending a live pipe bomb addressed to John Brennan at CNN tells the whole story. While CNN’s 100% against Trump, Brennan is one of the most insulting pundits on the airwaves. CNN President and CEO Jeff Zucker, who’s admitted his network is biased against Trump, condemned the White House for causing the terrorist acts.
Zucker wasted no time condemning Trump and the White House for fostering the kind of hateful atmosphere creating the pipe bomb scare. “There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House at the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media. The president, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. This far, they have shown no comprehension of that,” said Zucker. Zucker won’t admit that CNN’s hateful rhetoric against Trump in practically all their programming also fosters the kind of hate that leads to disgraceful lone wolf attacks. Zucker wants to blame the White House but the rhetoric coming out of most of CNN’s hosts and pundits lashes out continuously against the Trump White House. Whoever’s responsible for the latest bomb scare, both sides need to improve their civility toward each other.
Trump promised that the government would pull out all the stops to apprehend the domestic or foreign terrorists. “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 expect in this effort,” Trump said. Zucker’s remarks mirror the problem with extreme partisan news networks, sparing no restraintin attacking the White House. Zucker wants to hang the blame on Trump but he needs to look no further than his hosts and pundits, hired specifically to attack everything Trump. All Zucker can really say is that conservative stations like Fox News counter the endless White House smears at CNN and other liberal new channels. As long as CNN continues to throw mud at Trump, Zucker has a lot of nerve blaming Trump’s rhetoric for the recent terrorist acts.
