Incitement by Any Other Name

When Donald Trump whipped up his raucous crowd on January 6, he was (and is) widely accused of inciting the invasion of the Capitol shortly thereafter — that is, of inciting a riot if not an insurrection. It was, so we were told, an unprecedented threat to American democracy. The House’s January 6 Committee may yet recommend criminal insurrection charges, or other criminal charges, although that is not yet known.

To my way of thinking, Trump acted recklessly at best, and certainly against the cautionary advice of top Republicans in Congress, members of the White House staff, and his own adult son and daughter.

For a variety of reasons, it’s problematic that Trump could or should be criminally prosecuted. He did, however, act without the required degree of caution, sobriety and respect for some of the country’s most important traditions. This is not acceptable. We have the right to expect our leaders in Washington to honor a standard of behavior more exacting than just keeping them one step ahead of jail or a half step ahead of leading a mob.

Which brings me to today’s story.

You might remember Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s tirade against Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh — a tirade, like Trump’s speech, undertaken in front of an angry gathering of the like-minded — that if the Justices did not get their minds right about the abortion case currently before the Court, “you will pay the price.” CNN has a tape of Schumer’s threat here. Schumer continued, “You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”

We found out a bit more about one version of “the price” today, and about what the “hit” might be. Hence this story from the National Review titled, “Armed Man Arrested Near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Home”:

A California man armed with a weapon was arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home after telling police he wanted to kill the justice, the Supreme Court confirmed Wednesday morning.

“At approximately 1:50 a.m. today, a man was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh’s residence,” a Supreme Court spokeswoman said in a statement to Bloomberg. “The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh. He was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District.”

The man was carrying burglary tools at the time of his arrest, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the arrest. The man arrested near Kavanaugh’s home on Wednesday was reportedly incensed about a leaked draft opinion indicating the Court is poised to overturn the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, two people familiar with the investigation told the Post.

It’s still not known who leaked the draft, but making an educated guess is getting easier.

“Thank God that law enforcement stopped this lunatic,” Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) said in a statement. “Political violence is un-American. President Biden needs to personally and forcefully condemn violence and threats against Supreme Court Justices—his oath of office demands nothing less.”

The incident occurred weeks after multiple pro-abortion protests outside the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices, including Kavanaugh’s, following the leak of the opinion.

The Senate passed a bill on May 9 to provide security to the families of Supreme Court justices in the wake of the leak and protests, with bipartisan sponsorship of Senators John Cornyn (R., Texas) and Chris Coons (D., Del.). However, the legislation has since stalled in the House.

Remind me again who’s in charge of the House.

Does any of this mean that Chuck Schumer is in on a plot to murder Justice Kavanaugh? No, it does not mean that, but it’s not meaningless, either, although that’s what you’re about to start hearing. James Hodgkinson, a liberal zealot and big Bernie Sanders fan, shot and nearly succeeded in assassinating Republican Rep. Steve Scalise several years ago. Unhinged and irresponsible talk, particularly from those with the public megaphone, has consequences. Donald Trump should have remembered that when he was whipping up his crowd, and Chuck Schumer and his allies should remember it now.

We hear a lot of high-minded talk from liberals about respecting norms. Lest we risk a tragedy, it’s time for them to remember that respect runs both ways.