HuffPost writer Jesse Benn tweeted Wednesday that violent resistance must be organized to work.
The tweet came after a gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers early Wednesday morning. The gunman shot five people: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R., La.), two Capitol Police officers, a congressional aide, and a lobbyist. The hospital treating some of the victims released a statement that said Scalise was still in critical condition. The gunman was shot and taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Benn wrote that violent resistance needed to be organized and that individual acts of resistance were "counterproductive/ineffective," but still understandable.
For violent resistance to work it'd need to be organized. Individual acts can be understandable, but likely counterproductive/ineffective.
— Jesse Benn (@JesseBenn) June 14, 2017
This is not the first time Benn has advocated for violence. Benn wrote a June 2016 article titled, "Sorry Liberals, a Violent Response to Trump Is as Logical as Any." In the article, Benn said there was value in violently resisting the "normalizing" of then-candidate Donald Trump.
"In the face of media, politicians, and GOP primary voters normalizing Trump as a presidential candidate—whatever your personal beliefs regarding violent resistance—there's an inherent value in forestalling Trump's normalization," Benn wrote. "Violent resistance accomplishes this."
Benn received plenty of backlash for his tweet on social media. Benn responded by stating, "For the record, fuck #SteveScalise."
Hahaha. As always, this one is my fault.
And for the record, fuck #SteveScalise. https://t.co/kQAKu6ZXzL
— Jesse Benn (@JesseBenn) June 14, 2017
#SteveScalise once called himself "David Duke without the baggage" - the world would be a better place without him. End of story.
— Jesse Benn (@JesseBenn) June 14, 2017
Benn also appeared to express no sympathy for the two police officers who were shot.
Chris doesn't seem to know me if he thinks two cops getting shot is going to upset me. https://t.co/swI7sEu7mK
— Jesse Benn (@JesseBenn) June 15, 2017
The gunman was identified as James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, Ill. Hodgkinson appeared to be a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). When it was discovered that Hodgkinson was a volunteer for Sanders' presidential campaign, the Vermont senator took to the Senate floor to denounce the violence.
Hodgkinson's social media shows that the individual held deep anti-Republican sentiments. He often posted anti-Trump and anti-Republican statements on social media. In one post, he stated that "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co."