Schiff: ‘Not enough’ for Trump to say ‘the right words’ in response to tragedy

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday that he’s unsatisfied with President Trump’s handling of a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue and a spate of bomb threats against prominent Democrats because he believes the president seeks to sow division.

“You’re never going to find all of these are exactly the same, but nonetheless, what is the same is are we part of the solution, are we part of trying to make us a more perfect union are we trying to accentuate what brings us together, what unites us, or are we preaching hatred and division?” Schiff said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“And, honestly, I think this president’s whole modus operandi is to divide us,” he continued. “He gets up in the morning with new and inventive ways to divide us. And it’s not enough that on the day of a tragedy he says the right words, if, every day of the year, he’s saying things to bring us into conflict with each other.”

{mosads}Trump on Saturday condemned a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, decrying it as an “assault on humanity.”

Schiff said he did not take issue with how the president addressed the tragedy, but how he’s inflamed tensions leading up to it.

“The problem is not how he’s handling the aftermath … the broader issue is what kind of climate are we creating in the country,” Schiff said.

“It’s not enough that on the day of a tragedy, he says the right words. If every day of the year, he’s saying things to bring us into conflict with each other,” Rep. Adam Schiff says of President Donald Trump #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/7rpxrJsMQS

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 28, 2018

On Saturday, a gunman opened fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people and wounding six others.

Robert Bowers, 46, was charged with 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation after police said he opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue during Saturday morning services.

Authorities said he told police as he was being treated for injuries upon his arrest that he wanted all Jews to die.

It is believed to be the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in American history, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The synagogue shooting came one day after authorities arrested Cesar Sayoc Jr. in connection with a string of explosive devices mailed to prominent Democrats and critics of the president, including former President Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), among others.

Trump condemned the bomb threats and vowed he would not allow political violence to take hold in the country. After calling for national unity, Trump suggested critics and the media were responsible for the state of political discourse in the country.

Democrats and Republicans alike have called for cooler heads to prevail in the aftermath of the week’s violent incidents, while pointing the finger at the opposing party for inflaming political rhetoric up to this point.

Democrats have criticized Trump labeling the party an “angry mob” and deriding the news media as the “enemy of the people.”

Republicans cited Democrats who urged their supporters to confront Trump administration officials and GOP lawmakers over policies with which they disagree.