Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Sunday called out former President Trump for his silence on the recent attack against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband, Paul Pelosi.
“President Biden and Democrats have stood behind law enforcement and strengthening protections for those in public life. That’s what I think we should be focusing on in this moment, when leaders of both parties — but so far not President Trump — have decried the attack on Paul Pelosi,” Coons said in an interview with host Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.”
Paul Pelosi on Friday was violently assaulted in the family’s California home, sparking outrage and concern over heightening political violence. The GOP response to the attack on Paul Pelosi has varied, and former President Trump has been notably silent.
“I think all of us in the wake of this attack on Paul Pelosi need to say that we are going to stop demonizing folks, because I think those kinds of- the sort of rhetoric that we’ve heard in too many ways in too many places can lead to violence by a small number of Americans who think that, when we describe our political opponents as our enemies, we’re calling for them to be attacked,” Coons said.
In the wake of the attack against the House Speaker’s husband, Democrats have called out their Republican counterparts for what they see as violent rhetoric with their calls to oust Pelosi or take congressional control back from Democrats.
Coons talked about his bipartisan work Republican Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to advance legislation expanding police protections for Supreme Court Justices after a threat was made against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh earlier this year.