Jane Sanders on Thursday condemned violence and defended the rhetoric of her husband, Sen. Bernie Sanders, after news surfaced that the suspected shooter in the attack on a Republican congressional baseball practice was a strong supporter of the Vermont senator.
“This is completely unacceptable. This is not the answer. Violence is never the answer,” Jane Sanders said on CNN’s “Wolf.” “This is not OK and it’s certainly not what Bernie preaches.”
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Sanders if her husband’s rhetoric has gone too far, noting that on Saturday he said President Donald Trump is “perhaps the worst and most dangerous president in the history of our country.”
Sanders defended her husband’s words and put some blame on the media for characterizing politics as “adversarial.”
“Honestly, Wolf, the media needs to look at itself as well. The media characterizes every conversation as an adversarial one. The media’s job is to illuminate the facts, not fan the flames.”
Sanders also tried to distance the suspect, James Hodgkinson, from the rest of her husband’s supporters.
“This is a person that was troubled and certainly not indicative of his supporters,” she said.
The Vermont senator condemned the shooting on the Senate floor Wednesday after he was informed that the suspect volunteered on his campaign.