Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) reacted to reports of explosive devices sent to Democratic political leaders and CNN in New York:

“As Americans, we value civil disagreement as one of our country’s founding principles, but acts of violence are never the answer to ideological differences. The President has encouraged violence towards journalists, calling them enemies of the people, he’s refused to defend journalists abroad, and all but ignored the alarming murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Today’s attempted violence and threats to journalists and public figures are alarming for our safety and for the future of our country. We can have vigorous disagreements, without escalation to threats or violence, and still treat each other with respect. I call on the President to take responsibility for the words he has used which have likely provoked these attacks, I call on him to stop the irresponsible, reckless rhetoric at rallies and on Twitter that fuels these tensions and I urge all elected leaders—Republican and Democrat—to do the same.”