Some Republicans, so obsessed with an enemy overseas, are unwilling to condemn or even acknowledge the murderous terror attack on Planned Parenthood on U.S. soil.
As the world sadly knows, a Colorado Planned Parenthood was the scene of terror attack on Friday that left three people – a police officer, an Iraq veteran, and a mother of two – dead, and at least nine others injured.
By the end of Friday, as NCRM was the first to report, no GOP presidential candidate even acknowledged the attack on Friday, whereas all three Democratic candidates had, with Hillary Clinton being the first and offering the strongest support for Planned Parenthood.
On Saturday, Ted Cruz became the first Republican presidential candidate to acknowledge the attack, and he strongly condemned it. But on Sunday, Cruz then repeated a right wing lie that the terror attack suspect, Robert Lewis Dear, was “a transgendered leftist activist.”Â
John Kasich, also Saturday, posted this tweet:
Slowly, several other GOP presidential candidates acknowledged the attack, although most did not issue statements denouncing the attack, nor did any offer support for Planned Parenthood. Most who did wade into the issue did so by speaking on the Sunday morning talk shows.
Donald Trump phoned into “Meet the Press” and called Robert Dear a “maniac,” but also had the temerity to say, “I see a lot of anxiety and I see a lot of dislike for Planned Parenthood.”
Ben Carson on “This Week” said the attack “should be condemned very strongly,” then denounced “extremism” on both sides, as if the left had anything to do with the attack.
WATCH:Â Huckabee Doesn’t Know Any Pro-Life Leader Who’s Suggested Violence Toward Planned Parenthood
Jeb Bush, also on Sunday, in a statement said, “There is no acceptable explanation for this violence, and I will continue to pray for those who have been impacted.”
Mike Huckabee on Sunday took to CNN, saying, stunningly, “I don’t know any pro-life leader, any––if you can tell me one, please correct me––but I don’t know of anybody who has suggested violence toward Planned Parenthood personnel.â€
Carly Fiorina, whose lies during a GOP debate about Planned Parenthood videos that do not exist many say helped fuel the hate against Planned Parenthood, attacked the “left wing tactics” of her critics and denied any wrongdoing.
Rand Paul has said absolutely nothing. Monday morning he retweeted this tweet, which has nothing to do with the terror attack:
Chis Christie too has said absolutely nothing, despite claiming to have been appointed the U.S Attorney for New Jersey the day after 9/11, and despite posting this tweet Sunday also about terrorism – clearly, not domestic terrorism:
And, perhaps most stunningly, Marco Rubio has not only not acknowledged the terror attack at all, but sandwiched in between tweets promoting his online store’s merchandise Friday and Sunday, posted just one tweet Saturday:
MSNBC’s Steve Benen Monday morning penned an excellent piece on “the national candidates who took their sweet time in denouncing the mass shooting, and worse, the Republicans who couldn’t be bothered to even extend perfunctory well wishes to the affected families.”
“If candidates like Rubio and Christie – both fond of bluster and chest-thumping when it comes to security issues – aren’t going to condemn the attack on U.S. soil, perhaps they can offer some explanation for their reticence? If the answer is they’re afraid of antagonizing right-wing Planned Parenthood opponents in their party’s base, perhaps it’s time to rethink national leadership as a career path,” Benen concludes.
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EARLIER:
Ted Cruz Repeats Right Wing Lie Planned Parenthood Terrorist Was ‘Transgendered Leftist Activist’
Tweet Of The Day: Planned Parenthood On ‘Trolls Who Spew Hatred’
Fiorina Lies About Abortion While Attacking ‘Left-Wing’ Critics After Planned Parenthood Attack
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Images are candidates’ Twitter account profile photos