Rand Paul: Democrats Trying To 'Manufacture' Controversy From Shooting In Arizona

Rand Paul: Democrats Trying To 'Manufacture' Controversy From Shooting In Arizona

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) accused Democrats Wednesday of attempting to "manufacture" the controversy that has arisen over "vitriol" and political rhetoric in the wake of the shooting in Tucson over the weekend.

"Well, these are the kind of things that I think some on the left decided to manufacture even before the events occur. I mean, this is part of the playbook of Rahm Emanuel where they say any crisis should be used to their advantage to further their agenda," Paul said Wednesday on the Fox Business Network, according to The Hill.

Paul denied allegations from some liberal pundits and a few lawmakers that the explosive language and imagery used by conservatives figureheads such as Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh, were catalyzing factors in the massacre in Arizona that took the lives of 6 bystanders and left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition.

"I'm not surprised that they do it," Paul said of the supposedly forced connection between their rhetoric and the violence. "I do think they should be ashamed of themselves for doing it and [it] really just has no place in this discussion."

While Sarah Palin responded to the attacks against her on Wednesday in a defensive statement that ended up stirring more controversy in its claim that the media was exacting a "blood libel" -- a heavily charged and arguably anti-semitic term -- against her, President Obama spoke in Tucson later that evening in a memorial address that focused largely on the legacy of the victims.

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