Someone tossed a firebomb into a Republican Party headquarters in Orange County, North Carolina late Saturday or early Sunday. While nobody was hurt, the bombing did extensive damage.
The culprit or culprits also spray-painted “Nazi Republicans leave town or else” on the property.
Spray painted on the side of the OCGOP when it was fire bombed "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" pic.twitter.com/gvduwIpjMw
— NCGOP (@NCGOP) October 16, 2016
It’s unclear who’s responsible for the bombing. But that didn’t prevent Donald Trump from immediately racing to conclusions and blaming “animals representing Hillary Clinton.”
Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
A few minutes later, Trump followed up by saying he’ll “never forget” and sees the bombing as a sign that “we have to win.”
ALL SAFE IN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all! @NCGOP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
Politicizing violence is nothing new for Trump, of course. He used last November’s terror attacks in Paris to make an argument for more guns. A month later, Trump seized upon the mass shooting in San Bernardino to call for a total ban on Muslim immigration. Before the smoke had even cleared in Brussels following bombings that left dozens dead in March, Trump was on Fox News using the attacks to call for the Mexican border to be closed, Muslims to be banned from entering the country, and terrorism suspects to be waterboarded. It took less than 12 hours for Trump to blame immigrants for the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June, despite the fact that the shooter turned out to be from New Jersey.
Clinton, by contrast, responded to the firebombing in North Carolina with a measured statement:
The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 16, 2016
A Gofundme campaign started by a Democrat quickly raised $13,000 for the Orange County GOP to reopen its office.
Meanwhile, Trump surrogate and Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke was on Fox News Monday morning making a case that blaming Democrats for the North Carolina firebombing is fair game, even without evidence, because “if a voter registration drive set up by the NAACP — an office was set up and firebombed, you know darn well that the rhetoric would come out that it was Donald Trump involvement, he’s responsible, Republicans are responsible, with no foundation, so for that to happen on the other side I think is legitimate.”
Clark, an elected law enforcement official, openly called for riots over the weekend to protest the “rigged” system he thinks Trump is up against.