Fmr. FBI Agent: Shooter Is Probably Spurned by Political Diatribes Comparing Trump to Hitler

BURNETT: “He fled, he didn’t take his own life. He’s now in custody. He had those ceramic tiles ready. What does the fact that he wanted to survive say to you?”
CLEMENTE: “It says that he‘s not — he‘s not suicidal, apparently, he wasn‘t going to take his own life if he was almost being captured. Clearly, we saw that he was captured without that. And it tells me that he‘s probably much more politically motivated. The last shooter in Pennsylvania, I don‘t want to say his name because I don‘t want to promote him in any way, but he was cleared well, the guy that was looking for the notoriety of taking that shot. I would think we‘re going to find that this guy is extremely politically motivated and that he probably was spurred on by much of the political diatribes that are going on these days, talking about Trump, equating him to Hitler and things like that. So I don‘t think this is the last we‘ll see of crazies out there trying to do this.”
BURNETT: “So now, can you put in context this moment, which I feel like sometimes in this country we‘ve all become immune and numb for so many — for so many reasons, to so many things that we shouldn‘t be? But Tim, we‘re talking about the second attempted assassination of a former president in nine weeks. When the first one happened, I think the entire country was in complete shock, and then today there‘ll be more numbness by people. But can you just put into context what it is like to see something like this? Just to state the obvious, this has never happened before. It is unprecedented.”
CLEMENTE: “You know, Erin, it‘s unprecedented in a civilized society. And I think we‘re becoming more and more uncivilized, sadly, with the political diatribes that are going on and the political indictments of either candidate. And sadly, the finger-pointing at Trump has lead to — you know, the line about the bloodbath, talking about the auto industry, being used as if he‘s going to create a bloody coup if he loses, that kind of the verbiage is something you use in a third-world country when you‘re talking about a dictator. That sadly has led to, I think, these attempts on Trump‘s life, and I don‘t think it‘s going to end. I think we just have to realize, look, we‘re political opponents, you and I might not agree on 50% of what we care about politically, it doesn‘t matter, it doesn‘t mean we can‘t be friends, neighbors, relatives, and have a regular dialogue every day. We have to get back to that, talk about our differences but not in a way that makes us feel like you‘re the enemy and I‘m all good.”
BURNETT: “All right. Well, Tim, thank you very much. I’m glad to speak to you tonight. Thank you.”