The Democratic and Republican teams met near second base before the game – Scalise’s usual position – where they embraced and knelt in prayer for the victims of the shooting. “He’s in some trouble”.
Advertisement
Sava said Friday that there are hundreds of bullet fragments in Scalise’s body, but “we have no intention to try and remove all the bullet fragments at this point”.
Following a day that saw most congressional business canceled, the House approved legislation offering health insurance tax credits to some veterans while committees pondered federal land management, cybersecurity and more. Though the game pegs Republicans against Democrats, attendees and participating lawmakers showed unity in wake of the shooting. Both had appeared on the House floor earlier.
Republican Rep. Gregg Harper of MS gaveled in the session on Thursday, and Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania opened the morning speeches. “I can’t wrap my head around it”, Hodgkinson said.
Separately, Republicans also met behind closed doors before leaving Washington for the week.
Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) said President Trump’s political rhetoric is “partially to blame for demons that been unleashed”, citing angry constituents in his costal South Carolina district.
Medstar Washington Hospital Center released the update on behalf of the Scalise family.
Vice President Mike Pence has visited the Washington hospital and “checked in” on a Louisiana congressman recovering from a gunshot wound.
Members of the U.S. Congress took the field for their traditional Republicans vs. Democrats baseball game on Thursday, with many wearing hats to honor Representative Steve Scalise, who was critically wounded by a gunman as his Republican team practiced a day before. He later died of his injuries, Trump told the nation from the White House.
Trump and his wife Melania visited Scalise in the hospital Wednesday evening, bringing the injured congressman flowers.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers occupied opposing dugouts Thursday at Nationals Park for a showdown that provides an annual respite from the day-to-day rancor of Capitol Hill.
Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre presented the game ball to Capitol Police special agent David Bailey, who came out on the field on crutches after being injured in Wednesday’s shooting, to throw out the first pitch to huge applause. Organizers have capitalized on the wave of activism fueled by President Donald Trump’s election and have done so relatively easily with the help of the internet and mass communication.
Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise remains in critical condition, but his vital signs have “stabilized” two days after being shot during a congressional baseball practice on Wednesday, hospital officials announced Friday.
Despite the bipartisan motivation behind the game, especially this year, partisanship was hardly abandoned as Democrats and Republicans faced off, each side seriously itching for a win.
Some partisan lawmakers have seized on the opportunity to pin the blame on why Republican-hating gunman James Hodgkinson shot House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and four others. Democrats have won seven of the last eight games, bringing the overall series to an even 39-39-1 (the teams played multiple times in some years).
Advertisement
Scalise’s security detail and other police officers shot and killed the assailant, James Hodgkinson of IL, who had lashed out against President Donald Trump and other Republicans over social media.
