You stay classy, Loretta Sanchez.
Via Boston Herald:
Republicans are slamming Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee for claiming last year’s government shutdown stalled an investigation of the marathon bombings — saying it was a partisan exploitation of a tragedy that will haunt the Democrats rather than help them in November.
“I find it rather unfortunate … that the review was delayed because of the senseless 16-day government shutdown in October of 2013,” said U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), the second ranking Democrat on the Committee of Homeland Security, reading remarks of ranking Democrat Bennie G. Thompson, with which she concurred. “Partisan disagreements create serious gaps in Homeland Security oversight, and this is just one example of the myriad of setbacks that the shutdown yielded.”
Sanchez also suggested the federal prosecution could be affected by the GOP-led committee’s investigation. She spoke as a hearing into law enforcement lessons learned opened, before testimony by former Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, Watertown Chief of Police Ed Deveau, Watertown police Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese — who took part in the April 19 gunfight in which suspected terrorist Tamerlan Tsarnaev died — and Harvard professor Herman Leonard.
“It borders on idiotic,” GOP consultant Keith Appell said about the remarks.
“The shutdown was the result of Democrats insisting on funding Obamacare instead of delaying it for a year. The Democrat instinct to sensationalize this and grossly personalize almost every issue will only manifest in continued losses at the ballot box later this year.”
“There are idiots everywhere, and sometimes they get elected,” said Marty Connors, former Alabama GOP chairman. “It’s a ridiculous comment, but we’ve come to expect that these days. This was a terrible tragedy, and it’s being turned into something else.”