In a bombshell revelation, it turns out that James T. Hodgkinson, the shooter who opened fire on Republican congressmen and staffers at a baseball practice before the Congressional baseball game, had a list of Republican names in his pocket.
That list was found by the FBI, which also stated:
The shooter’s weapons recovered at the scene include a 9 mm handgun and a 7.62 caliber rifle. ATF has conducted traces on these weapons and has determined that both were purchased by the shooter from federal firearms licensees. We currently have no evidence to suggest that the purchases were not lawful. The FBI has processed the shooter’s vehicle, a white conversion van, which was parked in the parking lot of the YMCA directly adjacent to the park where the shooting took place. From that vehicle, the FBI has recovered and is processing a cell phone, a computer, and a camera.
The Daily Caller reports that the list was on notepad paper; the names included Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan and Arizona Rep. Trent Franks. The congressmen’s offices refused comment; Brooks and Franks’ office directed all inquiries to the Capitol police, who also had no comment.
All three representatives are part of the conservative House Freedom Caucus; Duncan and Brooks were at the practice.
Oddly, Hodgkinson spoke to Duncan before he started shooting, asking if the players he saw were Republicans or Democrats. Duncan said they were Republicans, then left, but Brooks was still on the field when Hodgkinson began shooting with a rifle.
Hodgkinson belonged to one social-media group called “Terminate The Republican Party,” which celebrated Hodgkinson’s attempted massacre.
Hodgkinson made no bones about his hatred of the GOP; he wrote in one letter to the editor, “I have never said ‘life sucks,’ only the policies of the Republicans.”