James T. Hodgkinson, Facebook profile photo.

A few minutes ago, President Trump announced that James T. Hodgkinson, the man who shot up a GOP Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, sending five people to the hospital earlier this morning, died of wounds sustained when security services stopped his attack with hot lead and cold steel. We’re still learning more about the attack, but the social media presence of the 66 year old Illinois resident makes clear his political leanings: Hodgkinson was a Democratic Socialist, and a die-hard Bernie Sanders supporter who campaigned for the Vermont Senator.

As late as August 2016, this person was posting his support for the failed Presidential Candidate. “I want Bernie to Win the White House,” he said. “Bernie is a Progressive, while Hillary is Republican Lite.” He had the most extreme contempt for President Trump, saying on March 22, 2017: “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co.” On June 12, he was even more angry: “I Want to Say Mr. President, for being an ass hole you are Truly the Biggest Ass Hole We Have Ever Had in the Oval Office.”

Hodgkinson’s wife told ABC News that her (perhaps estranged?) spouse had been living in Alexandria, Virginia for the past two months.

Charles Orear, a restaurant manager from St. Louis who was friendly with the attacker, told the Washington Post that he was surprised by the news.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Orear said when told by phone. “I met him on the Bernie trail in Iowa, worked with him in the Quad Cities area.”

Orear described Hodgkinson as a “quiet guy” who was “very mellow, very reserved” when they stayed overnight at a Sanders’s supporter home in Rock Island, Ill., after canvassing for the senator.

“He was this union tradesman, pretty stocky, and we stayed up talking politics,” he said. “He was more on the really progressive side of things.”

The Post reached out to Orear after seeing that he liked one of Hodgkinson’s Facebook posts.

At a press conference earlier today, FBI Special Agent Tim Slater advised that they are investigating the situation and that they hadn’t ruled out any motives yet, including terrorism.

Most times when politicians or law enforcement officials speak of terrorism, they mean Islamic terrorism. If this is a case of terrorism inspired by #TheResistance, a person looking to attack conservatives because of their political beliefs, then this may be a terrorist attack from a slightly different vector than what we’ve seen recently.

UPDATE: Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) denounced the attack in no uncertain terms:

I have just been informed that the alleged shooter at the Republican baseball practice was someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign. I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come through nonviolent action, and anything else runs against our most deeply held American values.

My hopes and prayers are that Representative [Scalise], congressional staff and the Capitol Police Officers who were wounded make a quick and full recovery. I also want to thank the Capitol Police for their heroic actions to prevent further harm.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

79 COMMENTS

    • And failed. How do you not kill one single victim with one of those automated death machines?

      • Automated death machines: you mean human beings? Yeah, they’re pretty dangerous, what with vicious, mind-altering violent leftist propaganda and all.

      • I suppose now would be an inopportune time to bring up the Fourth Circuit’s en banc reversal in Kolbe v. Hagan, upholding the “assault weapons” ban in the People’s Republic of Maryland, on the grounds that the “assault weapons” like the AR15 (and similar “M4” style rifles, such as the one used here) are uniquely dangerous.

        Today’s tally:

        50-100 rounds from a “uniquely dangerous” semiautomatic rifle: 0 deaths
        Several rounds from a semiautomatic handgun: 1 death

        I suppose it is especially inopportune to point out that this attack happened within the jurisdiction of the Fourth Circus.

        • And it took place in a ‘may issue’ jurisdiction.

          Right *there* is the argument for 50 state carry… 🙂

        • I’ve been avoiding the news since this happened waiting for the picture to develop. Is this round count accurate, and do we know the range? I’m glad, of course, that the only fatality was this terrorist, but at anything under 100 yards or so that is some really bad shooting…the thing is, it’s usually some really bad shooting. I have a half baked idea that the good shooters sort of know the carnage they could inflict and don’t, while those who lack the expertise and experience are more inclined to behave like this fellow did.
          I also suspect the suicide element found in most of these attacks is the primary motive, and much of the rest is window dressing to somehow make the shooters death more meaningful. That is to say that it seems to me at least that these shooters aren’t trying very hard to kill anyone but themselves. Not that they don’t; try to or kill, but rather the way most do it seems lackluster for a final event.

  2. Bernie supporter who went over to Hillary.
    Where are Bernie and Hillary’s denunciations of their deplorables and their apologies for inciting hate?
    Looks like he also subscribed to Soros Alt-left principles. Where is Soros’ announcement?
    I do see everytown and that nice lady Watts jumped on this early, and now look like idiots.

  3. Find like minded Patriots in your area. Start training in small unit tactics. Buy level 4 plates for all family members.

  4. It is time to name a new US Navy ship after Steve Scalise. If it is good for Giffords it should be good got Scalise.

    • Good point, but please not a useless, needy, single purposed, and over-hyped ship like the littoral combat ship that bears her name.

  5. Well what did you expect from a looser that thinks and 80 year old socialists is a valid political candidate? That alone shows how mentally ill that POS was.

    • Please don’t insult the mentally ill by comparing them to murderous commies. The mentally ill don’t have a choice about their conditions, commies deliberately chose to believe in their murderous ideology.

    • Though, the 80 year old socialist himself showed class in his statement on the incident.

      • Perhaps, or he was covering his back side. Bernie is either lying in this statement or ignorant beyond imagination or both. The only change he has advocated MUST come from violence, any voluntary inclusion from those who are productive will eventually end. His socialism will fall flat on its face without violence and coercion.

        • It seems like I am constantly trying to explain this to people who seem to be fairly intelligent, but are somehow unable to see that violence by the government against the people is part and parcel of socialism.

        • Yep. Bernie always talked about the carrot without ever mentioning the stick. His supporters are amazingly blank when you bring this up, like somehow they expect 100% of people to buy socialism and not horde/avoid anything… especially after you talk about them like they are a public enemy.

          Public shaming may be enough in Denmark, but plenty of people in the USA don’t feel public shame… like Bernie Sanders, for instance.

        • I think it’s possible that Bernie either really thinks he and his kind will slowly convince the rest of us, or is willing to wait forever. That is, he may be a true believer of what he says and truly blind to what it would actually take to work his vision in this time and place. He may be unwilling to see it through, or even to see that incrimental change is possible and that perfect (from his POV) ought not be the enemy of good.
          I tend to think of Bernie as Trotsky, and Hillary as Stalin: one the ideologically pure vanguard who thinks his ‘beautiful’ idea will just catch on, the other a cynical realist who would piggyback anything to get at the levers of power.
          In this way, Bernie may be sincere, but misguided, while Hillary ought never to be trusted at all.

      • The 80 years old socialist is full of it: “Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society…”
        The security detail guys didn’t use hugs and sweet talk. They used well aimed violence to defend innocent people (I know they are politicians, but still) and stop this POS.
        Violence is not only acceptable, sometimes it’s outright necessary. We should be ready to use it if situation calls for it.

    • Looks like from his social means he jumped over to Hillary. His posts include exact channeling of Democrat and social media talking points. He copied the “as5hole remark” right after it was made.

      He was clearly motivated and guided by the deplorable hate speech of the Democrats and mainstream media.

  6. Am wondering what the Demon-crats will say. Perhaps, “We need to ban all guns!” Waiting to hear from the Clinton News Network. Has Bernie spoken yet?

  7. Scary when you look at the picture. Wouldn’t jump out at you if you put him in a line-up.

    More whack-a-doo (D).

  10. FYI the gun control lobby is going to say this is Virginia and “where was a good guy with a gun.”
    This is simple. If you have carry license in Virginia but commute into DC, like these members of congress and their staff, it is a NIGHTMARE. DC will arrest you and felony charge you and pursue vigorous prosecution if you have an expended shell on the back carpet of your vehicle. Any constituent part of ammo able to be used to make or reload ammo is legally ammo in DC. Any possession of ammo without a DC registration is a felony. Transporting of unsecured ammo, say a expended shell that fell out of your cuff, is a felony.

    The fact is the DC absurd law is likely part of the reason of the dirth of good guys who could fight back on that field in NoVa.

    The gun control lobby keeps saying “we just want a system like driver’s licenses.” Really? WHAT A LIE. DC has to under the law, recognize your Virginia drivers license, and Virginia has to recognize your DC license, but DC insists they do not have to recognize your VA carry license and every gun control group actively supports DC in that. What hypocrites and liars.

    • Shorter: There were 2 good guys (actually 1 guy and 1 gal) with guns at the park and the only person that completed the room temperature challenge was the aggressor.

  11. I hope they’re all happy with themselves. The liberal media, the liberal elite, this is the exact environment they have created. They have turned fellow Americans, who happen to disagree with them, into enemies. This is not how it’s supposed to be.

  13. And Mark David Chapman was a J.D. Salinger fan. And David Berkowitz was a dog lover.

    Unless Sanders is on record somewhere promoting violence explicitly or implicitly, this article is very thinly veiled propaganda meant to capitalize on the very sort of tribalism that leads to this sort of violence in the first place.

    The population of this country, regardless of political affiliation, really churns my stomach sometimes.

    • Do either of your examples support an ideology responsible for over 100,000,000 dead bodies in the 20th century alone? No?

        • Messaging matters. The vitriol and hate speech and open advocacyof violence out of too many on the left now, including Dem members of congress, hollywood’s leading Demcorats, CNN hosts etc is normalizing these violent virews.

        • And there’s not plenty of vitriol etc. coming from the right? Both sides are largely populated by awful, narrow minded people who get behind an ideology in the same manner that rabid sports fan gets behind their favorite team. Both sides are typically guilty of the same bullshit, but one’s own tribe can do no wrong.

          I’m sure that I’ll be accused of being a liberal, commie, cuck, etc. etc. simply for not marching blindly in lockstep with the local group, but I’m perfectly ok with that. I gleefully alienate this country’s left as well. Neither side is worth being affiliated and I fully agree with Bill Burr’s sentiment when he asked, “What kind of an asshole joins a group?”

        • And when was the last time there was a play in Central Park depicting the murder of BO? The Right may not like the left but the historical record is that most of these assassination attempts are by the lefties. Giffords, shot by a lefty. That the Media and lefty politicians can’t let it go that they lost the election and want to move us into an armed rebellion is an observable fact. The right just waited out the Democrat debacle with a little griping. There is a Huge difference here.

        • Didn’t we just have a an extreme right winger in Portland stab a bunch of people who had the audacity to defend a pair of Muslim teenage girls who were merely minding their own business? That guy and the Arlington shooter are both in the same category of shit-goblin as far as I’m concerned

          The point is that the fringes on both ends of the political spectrum are largely made up of just horrible people. But hey, go team go, right?

          • You’ve been hoodwinked. Better do more research. Portland stabbed was also a Bernie supporter. It’s looking like the only solution for these Liberal Terrorists™ Is going to be genocide.

    • Sanders, like all statists, does in fact advocate violence, with the small but significant proviso that that the violence is committed by the state to feed its voracious maw. However, I suspect that he does not advocate violence from non-state entities like this loose (but now dead) cannon. I don’t think Bernie is responsible for this attack and I doubt that Mr. Paulsen does either.

  15. “UPDATE: Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) denounced the attack in no uncertain terms:

    I have just been informed that the alleged shooter at the Republican baseball practice was someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign. I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come through nonviolent action, and anything else runs against our most deeply held American values.

    My hopes and prayers are that Representative [Scalise], congressional staff and the Capitol Police Officers who were wounded make a quick and full recovery. I also want to thank the Capitol Police for their heroic actions to prevent further harm.””

    TRANSLATION:

    DESPITE ALL THE GROOMING AND TRAINING, AND MIND CONTROL, OUR PAWN FAILED

    • “Alexandria Attacker, Bernie Sanders Supporter”

      Bernie Sanders VOLUNTEER. A fully vetted WORKER FOR BERNIE.

  16. His death, at least, will save countless tax dollars on media circus trials, incarceration and never ending appeals. He may have been “progressive” or “left leaning” but he was still only ONE MAN. I can’t wait to see the hypocrisy when the media starts screaming about judging ALL progressives based on the actions of “one man”.

    Any of this sound familiar gun owners? Don’t let emotion drag you too far down the rabbit hole guys(and gals). There very well may be a pattern here(I believe there is) but if we play their game of hate and dishonesty they WILL beat us with experience. Show his links to Bernie, the progs, the dems… etc.. Air out his life to the public and let them SEE what he was with their own eyes. Hate and vitriol is much easier to dismiss as “crazy”. Facts have a way of digging themselves in and influencing decision long term. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.

    Bottom line…. Bad person did bad thing. Bad person died.

  19. To be completely honest, (brutally honest), I don’t hold a great deal of enmity towards him for shooting at politicians. Plenty of people throughout our history and during our founding paid the ultimate price for fighting for what they believe in, and in this sense, I can’t fault him. That said, shooting at politicians and their supporters is the absolute… very last… very very last… action which should be taken, after all other options are exhausted. What I fault him in, is his crazy Bernie Sanders ideology that he believes. To think that he is entitled to my money that originates from the sweat of my brow is insane. The collective should absolutely not be entitled to free college, free health-care, free housing, free food, free cell phones, etc. Their proposed “right” also carries with it a responsibility. A responsibility that everyone else provides for that right. And that’s insane. It is the epitome of subjugation and subjection. When you go down this road, where does it end??? If everyone has a right to everything they want in life, then I have the responsibility to provide that to them, and that is not a responsibility to which I agreed. I did not agree to being a slave to the collective. The United States was based on freedom, capitalism, free association, etc. James T. Hodgkinson was fighting for slavery. My slavery. Unacceptable.

  20. The bag of shit Hit 5 people with a long gun at less than 45 yards. Was he blind, or drunk, or blind drunk????
    No way he could have been armed with one of those AR-15 assault weapons of war, you know the ones that effortlessly shoot a billion bullet rounds a second, from their large bullet magazine clip things. You know they hardly ever miss anything they are pointed at!! I bet he had a permit to carry that long gun concealed!! Lucky thing someone there rated a couple of cops to protect him all the time. Ban everything to save all our precious politicians.
    It’s all just a bunch of silly shit.

    • Just guessing, but I bet the immediate response of the Capitol Police protection detail is what prevented any victim fatalities. As usual, immediate armed response is the best medicine for a wanna-be murderer.

    • His weapon probably didn’t have a shoulder thing that goes up. Allah be praised, otherwise thousands might have died from his 50 rounds.

    • Maybe he believed all the anti’s BS about pistol grip making it sooo easy to shoot from hip and hose everyone with bullets.

  21. This brings back memories of an earlier topic we were discussing on this blog. It has to do with the mental and emotional status of liberal Progressive socialist Democrats. I asked the question had anyone ever tried to talk to a family member that was a Democrat? I replied trying to have an intelligent civil conversation with one of these liberal globalist fruitcakes is harder than me trying to land on the Moon with an ice chest cooler and a bottle rocket LOL. These people preach anti-gun rhetoric and gun control I think it’s because they know they’re not wrapped tight and they think everybody else has the same mental capability as them and if that was the case then maybe gun control would be a good idea. I think at this point the Democratic party needs to be labeled as an anti-American terrorist organization that needs to be replaced by another party. I remember Deering this last election that another Bernie Sanders supporter working at a voting area got in an argument with another Republican that was there to vote and this liberal Democrat pulls out of hand gun and shoots the guy. These Progressive liberal globalist need to be put in check they are on the verge of starting a coup against our president and our government. And you know if this was a republican nut job that did this kind of thing the news would have all kinds of gun control propaganda BS playing 24/7. They don’t want to admit to the fact that we’re this guy shot these people that AR-15 Czar band. They didn’t want to talk about his high capacity magazine that is also illegal where he had it. This all proving the point that gun control is a made-up bull crap story of a bunch of propaganda and ridiculous crap that no criminal ever respects. The definition of criminal is someone who does not follow the law of the country or state. It’s time for the Republican party and the people of the gun to say this is ridiculous we’re not going to put up with this anymore and something has to be done by our president to make sure that these emotional a radical goofballs get a muzzle in a short leash. This goofball today that did the shooting was a home inspector that his permit for inspecting homes was not renewed this year. Okay well the housing market has been going off the charts real estate is up unbelievable amount right now so this guy should have had more business than he can shake a stick at. Instead of working and dealing with the fact that his candidate didn’t get elected he decides to go postal and shoot up a bunch of people. After this story broke this morning I knew it wasn’t a gun person that did this because he didn’t kill anyone but himself by police gunfire. I bet when his story comes out it’s going to prove that he is a pro libertarian socialist globalist that thinks the government should take care of everyone. I’m going to quote a little something here that I normally don’t do but it’s about damn time somebody said this. Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country. It’s high time that the people of this country get off their couches and their lazy asses and put forth an effort to make this country great again. Instead of standing in a welfare line broken down waiting for your hand out so you can continue on with your miserable existence. And this from someone who served his country for five-and-a-half years and is 100% disabled now from lack of vision. Just my dollar 75 worth. God bless all the people who were hurt today and the men and women of law enforcement that helps stop this moron from taking Lives and injuring more people.

  22. To heck with Sanders’ statement. He riles up his base and then claims to denounce violence.
    Sanders and his supporters should own this.

  23. “Real change can only come through nonviolent action”

    I would love it if Bernie could name ONE time “real” change happened peacefully.

  24. And all this happens the morning after FX plays the movie with Jamie Foxx Washington down. A story where a black president representing President Obama is overthrown by a coup of right-wing militants who don’t support the Democratic process. Is this just a coincidence somehow I have never believed in coincidences. This fruitcake probably watch that movie last night got all amped up thought it was his turn to do something great for the nation of democracy and liberal globalist retardation. I hope this idiot moron go straight to hell.

    • Bring it Piggie.

      Unless you weren’t threatening me specifically, as I’m more of a Trump “America First” guy than a GOP’er.

    • We will see you on the battlefield Bill. Better buy rifle plates for all your family members.

    • Lol @ the obvious sock puppet. Here’s a hint for the next time you try to imitate a “shitlib”. We use proper spelling and grammar (typos and autocorrect issues do happen in long posts of course, but this wasn’t a long one) and your verbiage is all wrong. We don’t say “GOP TH UGS”. We might say fascist brownshirts, trumpkins, or alt right nazis.
      But you accomplished your goal, several of your buddies believe that this was a part by an actual leftist, and you just might inspire one to murder his neighborhood lefty! Good job!

      • “We use proper spelling and grammar…”

        “…trying to claim that anyone standing up to you’re bullying was the aggressor…”

  26. So here’s what I find interesting.
    I’m a gun owner. I’m a liberal. These two things can and do coexist. But while I’m seeing a ton of y’all talking about arming up because the evil leftist goblins are coming, there was no real similar concerns from you when Mark Hokoana and his wife tried to murder someone, or when Jemmy Christian did murder 2 people, and I’ve seen a lot of admiration for “based stick man” here and elsewhere. Oh, that’s right, those guys were assaulting liberals so that’s all fine, because we deserve it right? There have been hundreds of assaults, thousands of vandalism incidents and millions of threats levied at “the left” since the election. But that’s fine right? Hell, there were alt-right types on twitter posting instructions on how to make yourself look like an antifa protestor in order to get them blamed for any violence (so much for false flag)
    So where was all this concern and consternation about violence when Gabby Giffords got shot? Oh, right, again she’s a Democrat so she deserves to be murdered in your eyes right?
    I’ll just say this, y’all been bullying for a long time, and trying to claim that anyone standing up to you’re bullying was the aggressor, playing the victim. Right now there’s people gleefully talking about how this shooting is going to FINALLY give them an excuse to start killing “shitlibs”.
    So don’t sit there and act like the left is this big violent group, when it comes to a history of domestic terrorism the right wing is the all time champ, and the hypocrisy of the right bemoaning the “violent left”would be hilarious if it want going to be used by a bunch of wanna be tough his as an excuse to shoot up a unitarian church, pride parade or planned parenthood.

    • Ok, I’ll feed the troll. Please, cite some of these “…hundreds of assaults, thousands of vandalism incidents and millions of threats levied at “the left” since the election.” You sound very much like The_Resistance with his/her/xi’s “hundreds of mass shootings every day.”

    • “I’m a gun owner. I’m a liberal. These two things can and do coexist.” Only in progressive’s twisted mind. Gun control is basic part of Dems program. They know armed populace wouldn’t hold still for the kind of ‘changes’ they plan for us. Next time try something like “I’m a hunter. I’m a PETA member.”

Comments are closed.