On Thursday, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) appeared on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” and made a startling claim regarding the Las Vegas shooting that, if accurate, could be game-changing:
CARLSON: Congressman, you’re the only member of Congress I am aware of that’s taken a public position asking questions about this. What are your questions?
PERRY: Well, I smell a rat like a lot of Americans [do]. Nothing’s adding up; it’s been four months, as you said. We don’t even – the man’s dead; they said he was a lone gunman, lone shooter, yet we can’t get the autopsy results. But even more troubling than that, recently, I’ve been made aware of what I believe to be credible evidence, or credible information regarding potential terrorist infiltration through the southern border regarding this incident.
CARLSON: Terrorist connections?
PERRY: Yes, sir.
CARLSON: Okay, so what’s the outline of that? What would [that mean]?
PERRY: Well, let’s face it. ISIS – twice before the attack – ISIS warned the United States that they would attack Las Vegas [by I think] June or August, and then after the attack, claimed responsibility four times. Meanwhile, the local law enforcement investigative services are telling us there is no terrorist connection; lone gunman. Again, something’s not adding up.
These remarks caused fellow guest Catherine Lombardo, an attorney representing Las Vegas victims, to cry foul, saying, “I will ask, with all due respect, congressman, unless you have specific evidence to back that up, it seems a bit irresponsible to make that allegation. So if you do have any evidence of that, I’m asking you right now to share it with us, and tell us what that is.”
Perry then claimed that he is “not able” to share the information at this time, adding, “I have received what I feel to be, and believe to be, credible evidence of a possible terrorist nexus, and we’re gonna have to wait until that situation develops.”
This prompted Carlson to ask, “If that is your belief, does Congress have a role to play in this?”
Perry responded:
I don’t know that Congress has a role, but I think who does have a role is the National Counterterrorism Center. And if ISIS claims – if ISIS warns about an attack and then an attack occurs, and then claims responsibility after the fact, it seems to me that at a minimum, they should have some portion of the investigation to clearly debunk that claim, and yet it hasn’t happened.
Here’s the video (pertinent portion begins at the 2:07 mark):
An ISIS propaganda video encouraging attacks and featuring footage of several major U.S. cities, including Las Vegas, made the rounds in May 2017, reports Fox News. In June 2016, an ISIS video featuring brief footage of Las Vegas also encouraged attacks against U.S. cities.
Despite the footage of Las Vegas in the propaganda videos, there is no direct link between the generic threats and the shooting by Stephen Paddock that took place on October 1, 2017.
ISIS has indeed attempted to claim responsibility for the Las Vegas shooting multiple times, reports Newsweek. However, no evidence has been produced to bolster such a claim.
When The Daily Wire reached out to Rep. Perry’s office for comment, his communications director provided us with the following statement from Perry:
Information came to my attention recently, from what I believe to be a highly credible source, regarding possible terrorist involvement in relation to last fall’s shooting in Las Vegas that claimed 58 lives and wounded hundreds more. I’d be derelict in my duties and my Oath of Office if I failed to bring this information forward; I took this action neither lightly nor without grave and diligent thought. I also reached out to the appropriate federal authorities to share this information and did not receive a response. More information regarding this matter will come to light in the coming days. I hope these events spur federal counterterrorism officials to fully investigate ISIS’ claim of responsibility for this massacre.
As of this publication, no evidence has been produced connecting Stephen Paddock with the Islamic State or radical Islam.