GOP response to Baldasaro declaring Hillary Clinton should be ‘shot for treason’ highlights party divide
The Republican civil war between the party establishment and tea party activists was on full display this week as party members reacted to the explosive comments by state House Rep. Al Baldasaro that “Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.”
On the second day of the Republican National Convention, Baldasaro, a Donald Trump delegate and co-chair of the New Hampshire Veterans for Trump Coalition, made national headlines when he called Hillary Clinton “a piece of garbage” who should be put to death.
“Hillary Clinton to me is the Jane Fonda of the Vietnam,” Baldasaro told WRKO radio host Jeff Kuhner. “She is a disgrace for the lies that she told those mothers about their children that got killed over there in Benghazi. She dropped the ball on over 400 emails requesting back up security. Something’s wrong there… This whole thing disgusts me, Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.”
‘This kind of rhetoric is totally irresponsible’
The state’s Republican Party leadership immediately moved to distance themselves from Baldasaro’s ugly remarks.
“This kind of rhetoric is totally irresponsible,” declared Sen. Kelly Ayotte, “it has no place in our society, and violence should never be encouraged against anyone.”
State party chair Jennifer Horn urged Baldasaro to apologize. “Representative Baldasaro’s comments are appalling and have no place in public discourse,” she said. “Calls for violence in politics are never appropriate. I condemn his statement in the strongest terms possible and urge him to immediately apologize.”
House Speaker Shawn Jasper responded to Baldasaro’s comments on his official Facebook page. “I believe strongly that free speech is a fundamental constitutional principle that we enjoy as Americans,” he wrote. “However, with those rights come certain responsibilities. To suggest that a candidate for President of the United States is guilty of treason and should be ‘lined up and shot’ crosses the line between political rhetoric and irresponsible speech.”
“I am deeply troubled that the line has been crossed by a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives,” Jasper continued. “Make no mistake about it; I am not defending that candidate for President. However, given the events of the past few weeks, where we have witnessed protesters calling for the killing of police officers, followed by the subsequent murder of eight officers and the wounding of others, it is stunning to me that anyone would make similar comments involving a candidate for President.”
Jasper concluded by demanding Baldasaro retract the remarks. “I condemn the comments made by Representative Baldasaro and I call upon him to think about the implications of those comments, renounce them, and apologize for them,” he wrote.
Baldasaro fires back
Baldasaro, of course, refused to back down or apologize. He accused the “liberal media” of misreporting or misinterpreting his words and attacked the party leaders who had criticised him.
“Only in my own state, do I got three idiots that have no damn clue on the constitution and the laws of the land, and that’s Kelly Ayotte, Jennifer Horn, and Shawn Jasper,” he told NHPR’s Josh Rogers.
Kelly Ayotte and Jennifer Horn “believed the Liberal Media BS,” Baldasaro tweeted. “I forgot on how clueless Liberals & [Jennifer Horn] is,” he wrote in another.
“This is why Jennifer Horn needs to step down as chairman,” Baldasaro told WMUR. “She’s talking without all the information and she puts her foot in her mouth all the time.”
‘I totally agree with Al’
Baldasaro’s most prominent supporter, former Speaker Bill O’Brien, criticized Baldasaro’s comments, calling them "outside the bounds,” but defended the Londonderry Republican as someone who “cares passionately” about being a good lawmaker. “Often, you’ll have good people who, in order to emphasize a point, will turn to bad rhetoric,” he told AP’s Kathleen Ronayne.
Fellow lawmaker Rep. Gary Hopper (R-Weare) was less circumspect. “I totally agree with Al,” he said on his weekly talk show. “I think the woman should be in chains. She should be in chains until after the trial and then hung… have a nice speedy trial and hang her.”
Other supporters focused their attention on Jasper’s response and attacked the speaker for criticizing Baldasaro.
“@NHSpeaker is expert on Treason;” tweeted Rep. Dan Tamburello (R-Londonderry), “betrayed entire Republican caucus 2 Democrats in a shameless power grab, he knows about crime & punishment.”
“Don’t pick a fight with Al Baldasaro, Speaker Jasper,” wrote Zac Mercauto, Carroll County co-chair for the Trump campaign. Mercauto posted a link to the section of the U.S.Code on treason and directed Jasper to read it. “Maybe then you’ll renounce your comments against a war hero in Al Baldasaro and his family,” Mercauto wrote. “Then understand the law of America which appears to me you have no clue about the law.”