Trump decries shooting of top Congressman, calls for unity

They said he was in good spirits and had spoken to his wife on the phone.

Shortly after the shooting, Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., received an email.

Scalise’s office issued a statement saying the congressman was undergoing surgery but was in stable condition.

Scalise is the No. 3 House Republican leader. It was unclear whether the email writer was referring to that vote.

Alexandria police chief Michael Brown said his officers arrived within minutes and engaged Hodgkinson, together with Capitol Police officers. The actions this morning reinforce what many of us in Congress already know: Capitol Police officers are heroes.

The White House cancelled a scheduled public appearance by President Trump on Wednesday as a result of the shooting. “He said, ‘OK, thanks, ‘ turned around”.

“Since May, someone has threatened to shoot Rep. (Martha) McSally in the head”.

As they anxiously waited in the dugout, Doyle said they got text messages that Scalise had been shot, and others wounded.

“The Vice President and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely”.

McSally is a Republican from Arizona and Kustoff is a Republican from Tennessee.

Congressman Rodney Davis told CNN he was at bat at the time, and Scalise was in the field at second base. But then the shooting started, and they all scrambled for cover.

While some members of Congress are granted off-site security detail, the extent to which Capitol Police are present at events outside Capitol grounds is not clear.

“I told him they were Republicans”, Duncan recalled. “But it’s going to be in my pocket from this day forward”.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., said the baseball practice session was nearly over when the rampage began on the field shortly after 7 a.m.

“That’s the wrong way to approach this”. U.S. Capitol Police officers are being widely praised for helping to stop the attack.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and at least three others were shot during the practice in Alexandria, Va., police and witnesses said.

Duncan, who was just about to leave the practice field, said he “asked me if the team practicing was a Democrat or Republican team”.

“Somebody from the baseball team starting screaming, and I heard really, really loud pops very close to me”.

In an effort to draw fire away from the members, Loudermilk said, Bailey shifted his position and was also struck – but kept returning fire. Gabby Giffords was shot in January 2011.

“I got a look at the gunman behind the backstop, and he had a line of sight into our dugout”.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas also posted a note on Facebook. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, while he was running for president.

Police most recently encountered Hodgkinson on March 24, records from the St. Clair County Sheriff show.

Rep. Steven Scalise, wounded in the hip Wednesday morning while at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia, became the first representative to be shot since former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was struck in the head while meeting with constituents six years ago. He said he was protesting the influence of money in politics.

In a prepared statement, Rep. Mike Kelly, a Pittsburgh Republican, said: “I believe it’s time for all Americans to regain perspective about what our democracy should entail”.

“Things have gotten out of hand”, Barletta said. During his remarks, Trump disclosed that the shooter had died, the first confirmation from any official of the death. You can’t think about it every day.

Williams, a Weatherford auto dealer who now resides in Austin, tweeted, “Please keep the member of my staff and all members of the congressional baseball team in your thoughts and prayers”.