'You're shooting a gun!' GOP congressman shredded over 'FirePelosi' hashtag

31 October 2022

United States Representative Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) appeared on Sunday's edition of Face the Nation and was grilled by CBS anchor Margaret Brennan over a video that he posted to Twitter of him at a shooting range with a hashtag that read, "fire" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

Given that Pelosi's 82-year-old husband Paul was assaulted in their San Francisco home early Friday morning, Brennan asked Emmer, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, if that kind of messaging fuels violence.

The on-air conversation became quite heated (partial transcript courtesy of CBS News).

Brennan:

I want to ask you about this when it comes to political violence. On your Twitter feed, you posted this video we're going to show just a few days ago where you're firing a gun, and it says: 'Enjoyed exercising my Second Amendment rights. #FirePelosi.'

Why is there a gun in a political ad at all?

Emmer:

It wasn't an ad. I was –I was tweeting out – I was tweeting out something that I had just done.

Brennan:

Hashtag – or a tweet – hashtag #FirePelosi, with a weapon.

Emmer:

Well, now you're...

Brennan:

Wouldn't a pink slip be more fitting, if it's about firing her?

Emmer:

It's interesting, Margaret.

Brennan:

Why a gun?

Emmer attempted to deflect blame onto the shooting of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) by a deranged fan of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) at a congressional baseball game in 2017, triggering an argument:

It's interesting, Margaret, that we're talking about this, this morning, when, a couple of years back, when a Bernie Sanders supporter shot Steve Scalise...

Brennan:

Which was horrendous and horrific...

Emmer:

... when a Bernie Sanders supporter...

Brennan:

... which is why we should be not...

Emmer:

... shot Steve Scalise...

Brennan:

... be putting weapons...

Emmer then alleged that he "never heard you or anyone else in the media trying to blame Democrats for what happened" and that "we need to stay focused on what we're all doing."

Brennan immediately corrected him:

We did extensive coverage of what happened to Steve Scalise.

But Bremmer denied it, sparking another kerfuffle:

Excuse me?

Brennan:

There was extensive coverage, sir.

Emmer:

But nobody tried to equate Democrats' rhetoric, people that say...

Brennan:

I'm not talking about your rhetoric. I'm talking about what you posted.

Emmer insisted that there is no difference:

It's the same.

Brennan:

You're shooting a gun. Our viewers just saw it.

Emmer:

Yeah, right.

Brennan:

Hashtag #FirePelosi.

Emmer:

Exercising our Second Amendment rights, having fun...

Brennan:

That's not a debate about the Second Amendment.

Emmer:

... shooting a gun. Yeah.

Brennan:

That's not a debate about the Second Amendment.

Emmer:

Yes, it is.

Brennan:

Hashtag #FirePelosi.

Emmer:

Yes, it is. I – I'm running the campaign operation.

By that point, Brennan was clearly frustrated with Emmer's obtuseness:

Do you not understand that that is suggestive to people who are in a bad state, and, in this current environment, how risky it is? As you're talking about...

Emmer:

Well, I disagree, Margaret.

Brennan:

... the importance of lowering the rhetoric...

Emmer:

I disagree with you.

Brennan:

... why do you leave that up?

Emmer repeated his false claim about Scalise:

Again, I never saw anyone after Steve Scalise was shot by a...

Brennan:

I'm talking about right now...

Emmer:

... Bernie Sanders supporter...

Brennan:

... what just is happening right now.

Emmer again accused Brennan of "trying to equate – equate Democrat rhetoric with those actions. Please don't do that."

Brennan simply replied, "okay."

Watch below or at this link.

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