Media Matters founder David Brock holds Glenn Beck responsible for three assassination attacks that took place last year.
During a Chris Matthews Show interview that aired Wednesday, Brock discussed Saturday’s Tucson shooting rampage and went on to list three 2010 instances in which somebody targeted liberals.
“I mean, Glenn Beck himself has been responsible for three thwarted assassination attacks this year,” Brock said. “Well, you want to know what they are? So he burned Nancy Pelosi in effigy on his set, he tried to poison her with a chalice. Some weeks later somebody tried to firebomb Nancy Pelosi’s house. That guy’s mother went on television and said he gets all his ideas from Fox News.”
Brock said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray received a death threat in April 2010 because she supported health care reform. Brock added that the threatener’s cousin said he was slowly drawn into Glenn Beck’s world.
In October 2010, Byron Williams was charged with participating in a shootout and targeting the American Civil Liberties Union and the Tides Foundation.
“[Byron Williams] says Glenn Beck is his school teacher on television and points specific episodes of the Glenn Beck Show that inspired him to do it,” Brock said.
Political commentator Ron Reagan said Brock explained the situation very well.
“You have people like Glenn Beck who repeatedly and constantly refer to political opponents on the left as traitors, treasonists, Marxists, fascists, Nazi’s,” Brock said. “You can see that as entertainment but some people like Mr. Loughner are not going to see it as entertainment, they’re going to take it seriously.”
ABC reported Wednesday that Zach Osler, an old friend of Loughner, said the accused shooter didn’t express any interest in politics or news. Osler said Loughner was merely an angry person who “was shooting at the world” rather than carrying out a politically motivated attack.
“He did not watch TV. He disliked the news. He didn’t listen to political radio. He didn’t take sides. He wasn’t on the left. He wasn’t on the right,” Osler said.
There is no evidence that Loughner watched Glenn Beck’s program.