Senator Ashley Moody says WHCD shooting an instance of 'radical left attack'

Republican Senator Ashley Moody called the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner a "radical left attack" on Tuesday. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Moody said that the shooter, Cole Allen, had taken part in the No Kings rallies, which protested against President Donald Trump's executive policies. She claimed that such attacks have "increased dramatically" over the past few years, and that Saturday's shooting was "so much more than another incident."

"This is no longer about two teams battling on the field for policy and how to achieve success for this nation. You now have a team that is purposefully trying to take out a quarterback. It's like Bountygate all over again." The Florida Senator then accused political rivals of preaching against America and the ideals on which the country was founded. She also urged the media to change its rhetoric of the Trump administration in the wake of Saturday's shooting.

Republicans have doubled down on their claim that constant negative publicity of the Trump administration by Democrats and the country's liberal media inspires shooters like Cole Allen to do what they did. Democrats have vehemently rejected the argument. In a recent X post, Senator Mark Kelly condemned political violence in America, but defended his right to criticize the people in power, especially the President.

Kelly wrote that political violence was a "growing problem" in America and that he refused to accept it as "normal." However, he also wrote that disagreements among political rivals used to be contested democratically. "That doesn't mean we can't be loud and clear when we think someone has a really bad idea, especially someone with power. That's what a healthy democracy looks like. We all have the right to speak out about our government," he said.

The Arizona Senator also used the opportunity to speak out against gun violence and the firearm laws in the U.S. "Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and teens in America. The lax firearms laws that allow criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill to get access to guns make all of us less safe. It's just wrong," he opined.

In the wake of the shooting incident, Republican lawmakers are also going after Democrats for blocking funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has led to a partial government shutdown. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing that the Secret Service, which protected the President, members of the Cabinet, and other attendees on Saturday, was affected by the lack of funding.

"With the World Cup, America 250, the 2028 Olympics, and a Presidential election all ahead, the Democrats' obstruction is placing an enormous and totally pointless burden on the Secret Service that can get more people killed. Enough is enough. There should be no further debate about this. Democrats need to do what President Trump has been calling on them to do for 73 days and fund the DHS," Leavitt said.