On June 14, 2017, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and other Republican lawmakers were at a charity baseball practice when a left-wing shooter targeted them. Thankfully, Alexandria police and Capitol officers intervened, but the shooter was able to injure Scalise and three others before being stopped.
In the days following, the FBI acknowledged that the shooter, James Hodgkinson, harbored “anti-human views” and had identified six members of Congress as targets, indicating an intent that developed over months. Despite this, the FBI claimed there was “no nexus to terrorism,” framing the incident as a tragic response to a suicide by police.
A new report from Congress challenges this narrative, stating that the FBI misused information to present Hodgkinson’s actions as unrelated to domestic terrorism. It suggests the investigation was flawed and politically influenced.
Released by the House Permanent Select Intelligence Reporting Committee, the report indicates that after reassessing the case with new evidence, the FBI has now classified the shooting as a “domestic terrorist event,” years after the initial mischaracterization.
Scalise, who suffered severe injuries, remarked that the report reveals significant mishandling by the FBI in addressing the political motivations behind the attack. He thanked committee members for their efforts to uncover the truth.
FBI Director Kash Patel allowed a review of approximately 4,400 pages of case files, revealing numerous deficiencies in the investigation. Congressional investigators found that the FBI had not effectively interviewed key witnesses or created a proper timeline of events.
The House report also highlighted inconsistencies in the FBI’s public statements, such as misrepresenting discussions with Hodgkinson’s family and providing undue weight to claims of a suicide by police. The assertion that Hodgkinson’s intent was not politically motivated overlooks evidence indicating he aimed to influence policies.
Moving forward, the committee suggested evaluating how the FBI reached its initial conclusions and even proposed considering legal actions against politicization within intelligence assessments.
Interestingly, Democrats on the committee acknowledged the findings that pointed to the shooting being driven by political motives, advocating for a swifter resolution from the FBI while raising concerns about the agency’s initial reluctance to label the attack as domestic terrorism.
