BYRON YORK
On June 14, 2017, a team of Republican lawmakers went to an athletic field in Alexandria, Virginia, to practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity. As they worked out, a man armed with a semiautomatic rifle and pistol approached and opened fire.
Rep. Steve Scalise, the House Republican whip, was gravely wounded. A lobbyist was also seriously hurt, and a congressional aide and Capitol Police officer were wounded, as well. The shooter, James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois, was an active Bernie Sanders supporter who hated Republicans and particularly hated then-President Donald Trump. "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy," he posted on his Facebook page. "It's Time to Destroy Trump and Co."