Democratic congressmen were officially urged to offer only 'thoughts/prayers' after the Las Vegas shooting

After 58 people were killed last year in a shooting in Las Vegas, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's press secretary for the northeast region sent out an all-caps warning: "DO NOT POLITICIZE IT TODAY," Evan Lukaske wrote to lawmakers in the email. He added: "There will be time for politics and policy discussion, but any message today should be on offering thoughts/prayers for victims and their families and thanking first responders who saved lives."

The email, published by HuffPost, has stirred up anger among progressives who see the DCCC's approach as out of step. Mark Glaze of Guns Down went as far as to blast the DCCC's advice as "straight out of the NRA's talking points."

Some Democratic lawmakers have even done the opposite of the DCCC's advice in the wake of shootings, with many skewering Republicans for offering "thoughts and prayers" in lieu of substantial policy reforms.

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"The DCCC would not say whether it sent candidates similar guidance after the Parkland shooting," HuffPost writes, although the DCCC's communications director, Meredith Kelly, "said the group, which is responsible for getting Democrats elected to the House, continues to caution candidates to consider their words carefully in the immediate aftermath of major national tragedies."

"If the DCCC is willing to give up a key issue and offend virtually every Democrat so as not to bother eight Independents in rural Missouri, they're even more incompetent than we thought," said Glaze, "and Democrats should be very worried about the midterms." Read the entire report here.