Boehner Won’t Call Las Vegas Shootings ‘Domestic Terrorism’

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, tells reporters that he isn't quite ready to join other members of Congress who say Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki should resign in the wake of problems with the Veterans... House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, tells reporters that he isn't quite ready to join other members of Congress who say Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki should resign in the wake of problems with the Veterans Affairs troubled health care system, Thursday, May 29, 2014, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Boehner said he's reserving judgment about the embattled secretary and that President Barack Obama needs to step up and show leadership on the issue. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was asked Tuesday if he considers the Las Vegas shootings on Sunday to be “an act of domestic terrorism.”

“I — I’m not sure how I’d describe it,” he responded to reporters in the Capitol. “But clearly we had a couple of sick individuals who engaged in a horrific crime. And our hearts go out to those families, especially the families of those two officers who went down.”

The perpetrators, identified as Jerad Miller and Amanda Miller, reportedly killed two cops and one civilian before taking their own lives. Jerad Miller appears to have harbored extreme animosity toward the federal government, mixing Second Amendment advocacy with violent rhetoric and open calls for armed revolution.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. I’m not sure how I’d describe a complete tool of the right wing. . .

  2. He’s in a pickle–if it’s terrorism (which the GOP loves to throw around when the accused parties are brown) he also makes Harry Reid right by describing Bundy supporters as domestic terrorists.

  3. I think jonknee is right. If he uses the term “domestic terrorist” he comes off agreeing with Reid and no Republican can ever agree with a Democrat, ever.

  4. Avatar for ken_k ken_k says:

    And it won’t be long before we hear the right-wing wingnuts start calling them “Freedom Fighters”…

  5. As a senior executive of the PR firm for the domestic terrorists, you’d think he’d be a little quicker on his feet. A prepared statement perhaps.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

77 more replies

Participants

Avatar for lychnus_diogenes Avatar for thaverly Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for meri Avatar for ncsteve Avatar for artemisia Avatar for Rob_Monroe Avatar for thunderhawk Avatar for meangreen Avatar for bluinmaine Avatar for redbike Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for johnrm Avatar for just2stressed Avatar for mike2 Avatar for snarkus_aurelius Avatar for captaincommonsense Avatar for monsterthews Avatar for hallam Avatar for bigdaddydrj Avatar for emilianoelmexicano Avatar for meta Avatar for yellowdawgdem Avatar for JesusGlock9OilBaron

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: