GOP congressman claims shooting that killed 6 Asian women is 'not a hate crime'

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) on Thursday called it “disinformation” to describe the Atlanta mass shooting that targeted three Asian businesses as a hate crime.

Eight people were killed following the shooting spree, six of whom were Asian women, after the shooter targeted Asian-owned spas. According to a report in the Korean-language newspaper Chosun Ilbo, one of the witnesses said the shooter yelled, “I’m going to kill Asians.”

During a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce committee on disinformation and the role social media plays in furthering myths, Duncan complained that Democrats were “repeating disinformation” by referring to the killings as hate crimes.

“Democrats repeating disinformation about the motives of the murderer in Atlanta during a hearing on disinformation is irony at its worst,” said Duncan, who then said that the killer “admitted that he was a sex addict” and that “the problem was addiction, mental illness.”

Duncan offered no other evidence to bolster his claims.

“While my thoughts and prayers go out to the families that were impacted by this hideous crime, it was not a hate crime and to say so is disinformation,” the congressman concluded.

Duncan’s comments echo those of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who also took the word of a mass shooter to explain his actions.

“It may be that he was too fond of Asian women,” Cassidy speculated on Monday.

From a March 25 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee:

JEFF DUNCAN: Let me first say the Democrats repeating disinformation about the motives of the murderer in Atlanta during a hearing on disinformation is irony at its worst. The murderer admitted that he was a sex addict, the problem was addiction, mental illness.

 

While my thoughts and prayers go out to the families that were impacted by this hideous crime, it was not a hate crime and to say so is disinformation.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.