Attempted pipe bombings spark war of words between Kentucky’s political chiefs
Possible explosive devices sent to several high-profile national Democrats Wednesday sparked a war of words between Kentucky’s two political party chairmen and motivated one to blast a new ad that accuses congressional candidate Amy McGrath of being with the “liberal mob.”
The Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon that the devices appeared to be sent by the same person. They were mailed to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, billionaire liberal donor George Soros and CNN’s New York office to former CIA Director John Brennan and former U.S. Attorney General Erick Holder.
There were no injuries.
“This kind of attack won’t be limited to national party leaders if the heated rhetoric continues at both the local and national level,” Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Ben Self said in a news release. “The Republican Party of Kentucky has fully embraced the fear mongering from the national party, and just this morning another inflammatory ad is on the air against Amy McGrath in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District using fear tactics and racially charged imagery.”
Self continued: “It has to stop. Kentuckians deserve to feel safe to express their opinions and ideas on policy without the fear of receiving a bomb in the mail.”
In the ad, a narrator says “Amy McGrath and the liberal mob would take us backward” as the screen shows grainy black and white footage of a city street crowded with masked protesters.
The ad was sponsored by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a group dedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. McGrath, a Democrat, is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Andy Barr in the Central Kentucky race for Congress.
Less than an hour after Self released his statement, Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Mac Brown responded.
“The Kentucky Democratic Party’s attempt to use an ongoing act of terrorism to score cheap political points is just plain offensive,” Brown said. “Chairman Self owes an apology to the members of law enforcement dealing with this serious situation, those who were targeted by the senseless attack and the voters of the commonwealth for using a very real act of terror for his party’s political gain.”
Earlier in the day, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the attempted bombings as “acts of domestic terrorism.”
“As we continue to learn more, Americans are united in gratitude for the first responders — the Secret Service, the Postal Service and other law enforcement — who protect our leaders and public figures from such unconscionable acts.”