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Friend,
On March 24, 2017, James Hodgkinson spent the day terrorizing his neighbors by shooting rifles and handguns in his suburban Illinois backyard. When police arrived, Hodgkinson told officers he was simply engaged in target practice. Police gave Hodgkinson a warning.
Days later, Hodgkinson left home, telling his wife he was traveling to Washington, D.C., to work on “tax reform.” But Hodgkinson’s trip had far more to do with target practice than it did tax reform.
Unbeknownst to his wife, Sue, before setting out for the nation’s capital, Hodgkinson had packed an SKS 7.62 rifle, a 9 mm handgun, and enough ammo to start a small revolution.
Hodgkinson would spend the next three months sleeping in his van, scoping out the streets of Washington, and tracking the travel habits of multiple Republican members of Congress.
By June, Hodgkinson had begun “casing” the Eugene Simpson Stadium Park where members from both sides of the aisle have held an annual charity baseball game for over 100 years. Hodgkinson began arriving at the adjacent YMCA early in the morning, watching from across the parking lot as members arrived at baseball practice each day.
He grew bolder, sitting in the stands, and walking the baseball field grounds after hours.
At 7:02 a.m. on June 14, 2017, Hodgkinson left his usual parking spot next to the YMCA.
He pulled into a spot close to third base, which was being manned by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA).
Then-House Minority Whip, Scalise was one of the highest-ranking Republicans in Congress … and a man the SPLC had unfairly vilified as a racist.
Hodgkinson got out of his van and began firing at the members and staffers on the field.
According to the official Secret Service report, “Hodgkinson appeared to be trying to get ‘as many Republicans as possible’ and that he moved around the fence line to fire on individuals who had sought cover.”
STOP the SPLC’s murderous LIES!
After firing at least 70 rounds, Hodgkinson was hit by law enforcement gunfire and was reported down at 7:14 a.m.
He was then taken into custody and transported to the hospital. He died from his injuries at 9:16 a.m.
None of his targets died that day. But it was an incredibly close call.
U.S. Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner took a bullet as she defended the Republican targets on the field.
And 25-year-old congressional staffer Zach Barth took a bullet in the leg, requiring months of recovery.
One of Hodgkinson’s bullets lodged just millimeters from lobbyist Matt Mika’s heart, bringing the young man to the brink of death.
And despite nearly bleeding to death on the field and surviving numerous subsequent surgeries, Rep. Scalise continues to walk with a distinct limp.
But Hodgkinson had MORE SPLC targets he planned to kill after his baseball massacre!
Police found handwritten notes on the deranged SPLC devotee, one of them a hit list of congressmen he had targeted — including Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Mo Brooks (R-AL) — ALL of whom the SPLC had previously vilified.
The SPLC has made hundreds of millions of dollars fundraising off smears and outright lies even as some of its followers use the “hate lists” to target opponents for murder.
Five years before Hodgkinson’s rampage, on August 15, 2012, a heavily armed Floyd Corkins barged into the headquarters of the Family Research Council (FRC) in Washington, D.C. Corkins confessed to the FBI that he intended to commit mass murder and was motivated by the so-called “Hate Map” on the SPLC website that listed FRC as a “hate group.” In 2013, Corkins was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
However, the SPLC has never been held accountable for the false “hate” label that fueled James Hodgkinson and Floyd Corkins’ mass murder attempts. Liberty Counsel aims to change that.
Liberty Counsel has joined the legal team representing the Dustin Inman Society (DIS) and its founder and president, D.A. King, which the SPLC has falsely painted as an “anti-immigrant” hate group.
To falsely label nonviolent people or organizations with whom you disagree as “haters” or “hate groups” is irresponsible, dangerous, and deadly.
The SPLC’s lies and disparagement must end. It is time to STOP the SPLC lies.
YOU can help stop the SPLC’s dangerous “hate list” lies. Support our legal work today, and a special Challenge Grant will DOUBLE THE IMPACT of your donation. Please, give generously today!
Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
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Sources:
Bedard, Paul. “Support for Southern Poverty Law Center Links Scalise, Family Research Council Shooters.” Washington Examiner, June 14, 2017. Washingtonexaminer.com/support-for-southern-poverty-law-center-links-scalise-family-research-council-shooters.
“SPLC.” Southern Poverty Law Center. Accessed July 18, 2023. Splcenter.org/.
“SPLC’s “Hate List” Label Will Face Legal Scrutiny.” Liberty Counsel, July 18, 2023. Lc.org/newsroom/details/071823-splcs-hate-list-label-will-face-legal-scrutiny.
“The Congressional Shooter: A Behavioral Review of James Hodgkinson.” Department of Homeland Security. United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, October 2, 2017. Secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2020-06/Hodgkinson.pdf.
Liberty Counsel is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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