JACKSON — Gov. Phil Bryant and other Mississippi leaders from both sides of the aisle offered condemnation after an unknown person mailed bombs to national Democratic leaders on Wednesday.
Since Wednesday morning, the FBI has seized crude pipe bombs sent by mail and addressed to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, former CIA Director John Brennan, Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and actor Robert De Niro, who is a Trump critic.
None of the devices exploded, and no one was hurt. Trump called for unity while reading over a teleprompter Wednesday, before blaming the media Thursday morning.
“I join President Trump in condemning any threats or acts of violence toward any public official, media member, or media outlet,” Bryant, a Republican, tweeted Thursday morning. “We are all Americans first, and this is not acceptable in any way.”
On Wednesday, Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, whom Bryant appointed in April after former Sen. Thad Cochran resigned for health reasons, also echoed Trump’s initial statement.
“There is no room in American politics for violence of any kind,” Hyde-Smith tweeted. “I support President Trump’s commitment to investigate these attempted attacks and bring the full extent of the law on those responsible for these spineless acts.”
Each person that the would-be bomber targeted is a Trump critic whom the president has denounced at rallies, on Twitter or in other public statements.
“Terror does not belong in politics,” tweeted former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, a Democrat who is challenging Hyde-Smith for her seat in next month’s special election. “I’m glad everyone is safe, and sending thanks to all the first responders handling this situation.”
Espy, a friend of the Clintons, served as U.S. secretary of agriculture under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1994.
The perpetrator sent the device addressed to Brennan to CNN’s studio in New York City. As CNN anchors Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow were reporting live on air about the packages sent to Clinton and Obama Wednesday morning, fire alarms went off, and the anchors had to evacuate. They continued reporting from the street using iPhones and earbuds.
Brennan does not work at CNN, though he is a contributor at rival network MSNBC. Trump revoked Brennan’s security clearance in July in retaliation for critical comments the former director made about him.
Mississippi Dems to Candidates: ‘Remain Vigilant’
In a letter emailed to the state’s Democrats Thursday, the Mississippi Democratic Party encouraged its candidates to be cautious. “In light of all the shocking events that occurred yesterday and continue today, the Mississippi Democratic Party has encouraged all of our candidates for federal office to remain vigilant,” the party wrote.
The party denounced “personal attacks on the media or those who may be on the opposite side of the political aisle” and called for leadership to take a stand.
“If our elected leaders will not denounce and lead this effort to stop these type actions that are occurring, then it is up to us individually to pick up the yoke of leadership,” the party wrote. “Stand for your political views, that is our history, but not in a demeaning or callus way that stirs some to follow a dark path they somehow believe appropriate due to a political position.”
Democratic State Rep. Jeramey Anderson, who is running to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. House Rep. Steven Palazzo in Mississippi’s fourth congressional district, called on Americans to rise above the rancor.
“Folks, we’re better than this,” Anderson tweeted Wednesday. “We know it and we must show it. The world is watching.”
Trump Blames the Media
Trump has regularly criticized CNN, including in August, when he referred to the network as the “enemy of the people” and accused it of “hatred and extreme bias” against him after it ran a story revealing that his former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, allegedly has incriminating evidence on him.
Just one minute before Bryant’s Thursday morning tweet echoing Trump’s call for unity the prior day, the president’s conciliatory tone gave way to a series of tweets that, once again, pointed the finger at the media.
“A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News,” Trump tweeted. “It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!”
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.
