Who?
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)
LISTEN: Laslo & Fetterman
Ask a Pol asks:
Wondering your reaction to the reaction of some on the left who are celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination?
Key Fetterman:
“It's horrific. It's absolutely horrific. I mean, I've seen the video multiple times,” Sen. John Fetterman exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “I'm not going to talk about the politics. I'm not going to talk about who's right or who was this or that. It's just like: Don't shoot, kill people if they have different political views. It's just, don't do it.”
ICYMI — Read Laslo’s latest
Caught our ear:
“I don't care, you know, if you think someone's extreme, so what? It's just like, that's democracy, that's free speech,” Fetterman tells us. “And now I'm not going to make it any more complicated than just that. It’s terrible.”
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Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. John Fetterman
SCENE: Ahead of the first votes of the week on Monday night, Sen. John Fetterman and an aide huddled together on the grounds of the US Capitol. Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo waits at a distance for 10 or so minutes, giving them privacy.
Once the vote is called at 5:30 pm EST, the senator starts heading towards the Capitol and Laslo slides in for this exclusive interview.
Matt Laslo: “I was giving you space — but was wondering your reaction to the reaction of Charlie Kirk’s assassination?”
John Fetterman: “I put that out on my socials — it's horrific.”
ML: “Yeah?”
JF: “It's absolutely horrific. I mean, I've seen the video multiple times, and...”
ML: “It’s hard.”
JF: “I'm not going to talk about the politics. I'm not going to talk about who's right or who was this or that. It's just like: Don't shoot, kill people if they have different political views. We just — it's just, don't do it.”
ML: “Amen.”
JF: “Don't do it. And it’s so sad it’s become predictable, and now all of these things. It’s just, like, they lost their father, they lost their husband.”
ML: “Right?”
JF: “And it has traumatized our nation having someone’s neck torn apart by a bullet for someone that has his different political views.”
ML: “Yeah.”
JF: “It’s like, I mean, don't do that. Condemn that.”
ML: “And I get this is not a time for politics, but after the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, we saw people dancing…”
JF: “Well that’s turned into one thing. It’s like, this isn't like a ‘thoughts and prayers’ — this is not about trying to use that to argue your own positions. It's just like, don't shoot anyone. Especially for having different political views. It's always wrong.”
ML: “Amen.”
JF: “I don't care, you know, if you think someone's extreme, so what? It's just like, that's democracy, that's free speech. And now I'm not going to make it any more complicated than just that. It’s terrible.”
ML: “Yeah?”
JF: "I mean, you know, like if someone murdered my — I mean, when those kids grow up, that will live forever on the internet.”
ML: “Yeah.”
JF: “Not everything has to turn into the next political argument. It's like, you condemn that and just allow people to grieve. And, you know, for the Republicans that was part of their big point. Like, give it to them. Allow them the space to grieve.”
ML: “Right?”
JF: “Like, give them the opportunity to. I'm not going to hold them accountable for everything that they say if they’re upset or whatever.”
ML: “Right?”
JF: “Just let them have their space with that.”
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