Political Violence is a Crime Against American Democracy and the Rule of Law

July 15, 2024

Political Violence is a Crime Against American Democracy and the Rule of Law

Washington, D.C. - In the aftermath of a deadly shooting over the weekend at a political rally in Pennsylvania where former president Donald Trump was the target, Public Citizen co-presidents Lisa Gilbert and Robert Weissman issued the following statement:

"We are appalled by the shooting that took place on Saturday targeting former president Donald Trump, which led to the killing and injuring of bystanders. This kind of political violence is not only a crime against its intended targets, it is also a crime against American democracy and the rule of law, which is why Americans of all stripes are standing together to condemn this heinous act.

"What we fight for at Public Citizen is a better-functioning democracy where the voice of the people determines public policy, and where no one is above the law. These are the principles that guided us when we condemned the January 6th assault on American democracy, and demanded accountability under the law.

"These are also the same principles that guide us today when we condemn this shooter's attempt to take the political future of this country into his own hands through violence, when violence should have absolutely no place in our politics. The political future of this country must be decided exclusively by the people of this country, and at the ballot box. That is what it means to be an American, and that is the only way to safeguard the future of our great country."