Watch Fox News' awkward transition from discussing Mitch McConnell's restaurant harassment to Democrats being sent pipe bombs
Several prominent Democrats were sent pipe bombs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was harassed in a restaurant.
As news broke that suspicious packages had been intercepted on their way to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Fox News' Bill Hemmer wanted to discuss the "ris[ing] temperature" of political discourse right now. In particular, how someone yelled at McConnell while he was eating dinner last week.
"My fear is that intimidation turns to violence," said guest Brad Blakeman after watching footage of McConnell's meal being interrupted. The ex-assistant to former President George W. Bush then suggested that "both sides need to ramp it down," and Wall Street Journal columnist James Freeman similarly called these incidents "awful on both sides."
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
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Once the America's Newsroom guests finished unpacking the McConnell incident, Hemmer turned to breaking news he said was "along the same vein:" A White House statement on the "violent attacks" on Obama and Clinton. Watch the whole segment below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Making sense of the week's political news, delivered every Wednesday
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.