Senator Rand Paul revealed that the man who opened fire on Republican lawmakers during a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, last year, shouted ‘This is for healthcare!’

The information had thus far been ignored by the media well over a year after the mass assassination attempt.

Paul was on the practice field when James Hodgkinson, armed with weapons and a target list of Republicans, nearly killed House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA).

During an interview with “FOX & Friends,” Paul opened up about the motive.

“I was there at the ball field when Steven Scalise almost died from a very, very angry violent man who was incited really by rhetoric on the left,” the Kentucky Senator said.

He reiterated details in an interview with a Kentucky radio station.

“When I was at the ball field and Steve Scalise was nearly killed, the guy shooting up the ball field, and shooting I think five or six people, he was yelling, ‘This is for health care,'” Paul stated.

Still, the media and even the FBI declined to provide a motive for the domestic terrorist attack many months afterward.

Hodgkinson was a campaign volunteer for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. He asked a bystander in the parking lot if he was sure the players on the field were the Republican team. He had a list of Republican targets in his pocket. And now we know, he was motivated by GOP efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.

The mystery seems to have been solved several times over.

Yet, well after the shooting, NBC’s Pete Williams remained befuddled.

“Just the recent shooting at the congressional baseball game here outside Washington, D.C. that wounded Steve Scalise and you know, was a devastating attack on that institution,” he reported. “The authorities can never say for sure what drove the gunman in that case.”

Real head-scratcher there, Pete.

The Congressional baseball shooting attack was one of the earlier instances of Democrats inciting violence through their rhetoric. Rather than recognizing that they were inspiring domestic terrorists, they have since ratcheted up their talk, telling followers to accost Trump supporters, get in the face of Congressmen, and to get out there and start kicking Republicans.

Some GOP members have urged their colleagues to fight back against these attacks.

President Trump has never failed to fight fire with fire. You may remember former Vice President Joe Biden told the media that had he been in high school together with Trump, “I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.”

Trump didn’t even blink, destroying Biden with his response.

Obama’s former right-hand man backed down immediately.

“I shouldn’t have said what I said,” Biden admitted. “I don’t want to get down in the mosh pit with this guy.”

A wise walk back, something his colleagues would be smart to emulate. They might pretend they want a fight with Republicans, but with Trump leading the charge, they might be careful what they wish for.

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