Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., held a press conference at 10:15 a.m. about the shooting on Sunday of Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot in the head at close range during a meeting with voters in Tuscon. Six people were killed including a federal judge, a congressional staffer and a nine-year-old girl; and 13 people were injured when a college dropout opened fire on a crowd outside a supermarket. Giffords survived the bullet wound that went through her brain, and she is in critical condition at a Tuscon hospital.
Welch is a close friend of Giffords. He said she was a popular member of the “class” of new representatives who entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006.
In this conversation with reporters, Welch talks about Giffords’ political and personal gifts (“she is the best listener I know”); he assesses the nation’s political climate (he doesn’t directly tie the Arizona congressional campaign vitriol to the murderous acts of a lone, unstable actor); and he discusses what the massacre means for the country.
Read related stories:
NPR: Hopeful signs, many questions for Giffords’ medical outlook
The New York Times opinion by Ross Douthat.
Washington Post: “Capitol Hill on High Alert”
Huffington Post: Daniel Hernandez says he’s not a hero
Politico: Boehner seeks to calm rattled House
Christian Science Monitor: Vitriol in political rhetoric, did it play a role?
