Sean Hannity took a moment during his radio show on Thursday to report about a shooting at Maryland’s Capital Gazette newspaper, which left five dead and several injured on Thursday.
The Fox News host said he had no interest in turning the matter into a gun issue, but rather singled out Rep. Maxine Waters and former President Barack Obama as those who were really at fault.
“I’ve been saying now for days something horrible will happen because of the rhetoric. Really Maxine?” said the Fox News host. “Get in their faces, call them out, call your friends, get protesters to follow them into restaurants and shopping malls and whatever else she said.”
Hannity also blamed Obama, who he said used similar rhetoric.
“I’m not turning this into a gun debate. I know that’s where the media will be in 30 seconds from now. That’s not it,” he added. “It’s so sad that there are so many sick, demented and evil people in this world.”
Hannity was alluding to a viral moment over the weekend when the liberal California congresswoman had encouraged a crowd of supporters to harass members of the Trump administration if they saw them out in public.
“If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” she said to cheers.
Maxine Waters calls for attacks on Trump administration: "If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere." pic.twitter.com/jMV7wk48wM
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 24, 2018
The remarks were broadly condemned by both Democrats and Republicans.
Reps for Hannity at Fox News did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap.