Arrest at Trump dinner sparks NJ political firestorm over rhetoric

✅Armed suspect with arrested at DC dinner attended by President Trump

✅ Republicans blame political rhetoric for creating a charged atmosphere

✅Democrats, GOP spar over tone as calls grow to dial down heated political language

New Jersey Republicans are calling out Democrats after Saturday's shooting at the White House Correspondents Association dinner in Washington.

Authorities arrested Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, at Saturday at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump and top members of his administration attended. Allen was arrested while trying to rush past a security checkpoint with two firearms and knives.

The next day In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she was "thankful" that President Trump and everyone attending the dinner were safe. She was also grateful for the first responders and "brave" Secret Service agent who was shot.

Sherrill's statement prompted Assemblyman Paul Kanitra, R-Ocean, to fault Sherrill for contributing to the current political atmosphere.

New Jersey Republican Party chairwoman Christine Hanlon, meanwhile, quoted President Trump’s call to “recommit to resolving differences peacefully” and blasted Democrats for previous comparisons of the president and his administration to Hitler.

Trump himself is known for his incendiary and inflammatory rhetoric, often referring to Democrats, political opponents and members of the media as "scum," "vermin," "enemies of the people," "dangerous," "evil," "Marxists, communists and fascists," and a "threat to democracy." In his state of the union speech in February, he said Democrats "are destroying our country."

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Kanitra had to correct his initial response to Sherrill's statement/

"Do you remember when you called him 'a clear and present danger to the nation???' It’s comments like those that get people shot," Kanitra first said on his Facebook page.

When asked on Monday by New Jersey 101.5 to cite Sherrill's specific statement, Kanitra acknowledged that his research was wrong and that Sherrill had never said those exact words.

"The real quote was that Trump is 'a threat to all we've sworn to protect,' Kanitra said.

It was included in an opinion article co-written with several other freshman Democrats supporting the first impeachment of Trump for pressuring Ukraine to investigate then-President Joe Biden by threatening to withhold $400 million in military aid. Trump was acquitted by the U.S. Senate.

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New Jersey GOP Chairwoman Christine Hanlon said that Democrats "not only stand by" hateful rhetoric against Trump, "they amplify it to a disturbing level - likening the President and his cabinet to Hitler and the Nazis, waging campaigns of fear, division, and confusion, using verbiage like 'footsoldiers' and 'maximum warfare' and fueling violent protests across the nation stopping at nothing to regain political power in Washington."

Assemblyman John Azzariti Jr., R-Bergen, called the shooting a “wake-up call” to turn down the political rhetoric.

"The media, certain Democrats and others have been complicit in creating a climate of constant outrage and hostility. That kind of chronic, hateful discourse has consequences. When people are pushed to the edge by nonstop division and demonization, it can lead to violence. We must tone it down immediately," Azzariti said.

He said that despite the shooting taking place during an event meant to celebrate free speech, violence "reared its ugly head."

“We need to get back to honest, thoughtful discourse, with respect for process, for differing opinions, and for the rule of law. That’s the only way we restore a sense of order and safety in our political system.”

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