James T. Hodgkinson, 66, has been identified as the shooter of Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), two Capitol Hill officers, congressional aide and a lobbyist. The shooting took place in Alexandria, VA at a ballfield where Republican lawmakers were taking baseball practice.

Well, after taking a cursory glance at his social media accounts, it would appear that Hodgkinson was a fervent Bernie Sanders supporter and the shooting may be politically motivated.

If WaPo story is correct, FB page of alleged shooter has large photo of Bernie Sanders — Erik Wasson (@elwasson) June 14, 2017

One Facebook page purported to be Hodgkinson’s has a large photo of Sanders in the banner.



Another Facebook page includes a number of derogatory posts about President Donald Trump and Republicans in general.

According to the Washington Post, an acquaintance of Hodgkinson’s said the two had met while campaigning for Sanders.

Although not a prolific tweeter, Hodgkinson’s Twitter account contained suggestions to Democrats to filibuster Neil Gorsuch’s nomination as Supreme Court justice.

While numerous people were shot at the scene, the assailant was the only reported fatality from the shooting. Scalise is currently recovering after undergoing surgery this morning.

UPDATE 12:08 PM ET: Sanders has released a statement after being made aware that Hodgkinson had worked as a volunteer for his campaign:

NEW: @BernieSanders Stmt on alleged shooter being a volunteer for his presidential campaign –> pic.twitter.com/1o0UOWpAtg — Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) June 14, 2017

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

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