Rep. Roger Williams (R., Texas) said Thursday's Congressional Baseball Game for charity should and needs to be played in the wake of Wednesday's shooting.
Williams, who suffered an ankle-leg injury as he dove to take cover at the scene of the Alexandria, Va. attack on Republican lawmakers that left five wounded, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R.. La.), emphasized how important it was to play the game despite discussion over whether the game should go on as planned.
"We need to play this baseball game, and so I'm excited that we have decided to do that," Williams said. "I think these people that want to destroy our lives and our livelihood here in America, they win if we give in. America doesn't give out, America doesn't give in. And we must play this baseball game … This is America, the greatest country in the world. If you punch us, we will punch back. And we're going to play baseball tomorrow."
Williams also addressed the incident and the condition of his aide, Zachary Barth, who was shot in the leg during the shooting.
"He has been released from the hospital … I give him credit, I think Zack is 23, 24. All the time he was bleeding and under fire, he was texting. He was texting, letting people know we were under fire and that we needed help," Williams said.
Barth posted a status to Facebook after he was stable: "I got shot this morning at the baseball fields but I am in the hospital and okay. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers."