Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., told Newsmax on Friday that the physical attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., makes him question "how we calm people down and remind them that this country only works if we don't have violence."
During an event in upstate New York on Thursday, a man climbed on stage and grappled with Zeldin, who is running for governor, before being taken into custody.
When asked what went through his mind when he saw footage of the incident, Bentz told "National Report," that he told himself, "Thank goodness he wasn't hurt."
The congressman added that he also thought about "how many town halls and other public appearances I'm going to be doing, and all the rest of us in Congress are going to be doing, over the month of August and into September."
Bentz noted, "our entire careers here in Congress are in front of people. What is happening is a lot more anger that I think is facilitated by social media is being expressed by people in these kinds of actions. And so, how we calm people down and remind them that this country only works if we don't have violence is a real question."
He added: "thank goodness the congressman wasn't hurt, and I hope we don't have to resort to everybody having massive amounts of security. I know certain of my colleagues on the Democrat side already are spending various significant sums on security. I don't, and I hope I don't have to."
Bentz also hit out at the House special committee investigating the events surrounding the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, as a "sham and a fraud," accusing them of having a "biased approached."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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