After Rep. Thomas Massie praised the 17-year-old who shot three protesters in Portland, killing two of them, Massie’s opponent Dr. Alexandra Owensby released the following statement:
The role of a Representative is to be the voice of the people in their district. As a mother and a constituent, I am beyond concerned about Representative Thomas Massie’s latest comments on Thursday defending Kyle Rittenhouse’s actions. I hope and pray no parent finds out their child became a mass murderer overnight. No parent wants their child to become radicalized to the point they kill anyone, let alone multiple people. My heart goes out to every single person involved in this situation. While we don’t have all the details, what I will say is I hope we don’t repeat this situation ever.
While I disagree with the rioters vandalizing businesses, this in no way justifies youth vigilantes traveling across state lines, illegally arming themselves with assault rifles, and shooting protesters in the back. As a nation, we need to do better. We need to hear the voices of those who don’t feel like they are heard and feel the need to take to the streets. We need to address these injustices and inequalities before they get to this level.
The current Representative for this district, Thomas Massie, continues to throw fuel on the fire. He has had a long history of prejudice, from hanging multiple confederate flags in his home, to tweeting about how his AR-15s on his boat were “refugee insurance”, to being one of the only members of Congress or the Senate to vote against making lynching a federal crime.
When people are being killed in the streets, a Representative should never praise the killer. I shouldn’t even have to say this! As your Representative, I will never incentivize our youth to be radicalized. We need to come together as a nation and condemn the radical divides. When I am elected, I will listen to your voice and work against radicalizing our children and will work to bring our nation together on racial division.
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