Just hours after five police officers were shot and killed by snipers in Dallas, former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh (R) took to Twitter to dole out blame. In a series of tweets — at least one of which has since been deleted — the conservative radio show host called out President Obama for opening "the door for anti-cop rhetoric and action," as well as "liberals" and "Black Lives Matter" for encouraging violence:
In a deleted Tweet, Walsh even ominously told Obama and "Black Lives Matter punks" that "real America is coming after you."
After his tweets unsurprisingly elicited backlash, Walsh clarified that he didn't want any more violence, just for "America — white, black, & brown — to stand up to the cop haters":
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The shooting in Dallas also wounded seven officers and two civilians. Three suspects have been taken into custody, and one has been confirmed dead after a standoff with police.