We call upon the bonds that unite us, our faith, our family, and our shared values. We call upon the bonds of citizenship, the ties of community, and the comfort of our common humanity. Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence, and though we feel such great anger, at the senseless murder of our fellow citizens, it is our love that defines us today.
-from President Trump’s statement this morning on the Las Vegas shootings
Any person with a moral compass knows that today is not a day for politics. Today is a day to mourn the dead and to lift up their families, friends, and communities in prayer.
Unfortunately, there are a great many people in public life today who do not have any understanding of civility and decency. There are depraved ideologues like Chicago Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who “never let a serious crisis go to waste.”
These people need to be exposed. The American people deserve to know which government officials, celebrities, and others with high profiles, are so depraved that they shamelessly use great human tragedies like the shootings in Las Vegas to try to advance their political agendas.
So, here is a list of every soulless public or nationally prominent official, figure, organization, and publication that I can find, of any political party or ideology, who is shamelessly exploiting this human tragedy for political gain. Check back often as I will be adding names as they emerge. And feel free to add anyone that I miss in the comment section below.*
Will Arnett (actor)
Elizabeth Banks (actress)
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)
Joe Biden (former Democratic Vice President)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Michelle Branch (musician)
Tom Brokaw (NBC “News” anchor)
Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN)
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)
Jessica Chastain (actress)
Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI)
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA)
Hillary Clinton (former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)
Stephen Colbert (television talk show host)
Holly Marie Combs (actress)
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)
James Corden (television talk show host)
Sutton Crawford (actress)
Sheryl Crow (musician)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Lena Dunham (actress)
Ava DuVernay (director)
Billy Eichner (comedian/actor)
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
Mia Farrow (actress)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Hayley Geftman-Gold (top legal executive at CBS)**
Gabby Giffords (former Democratic congresswoman)***
Ariana Grande (musician)
Sean Hannity (radio and television talk show host)
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Chris Hayes (television pundit)
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Rep. Jim Himes, (D-CT)
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA)
Human Rights Campaign
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)
Alex Jones (radio talk show host, conspiracy theorist)
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Caleb Keeter (musician)
Michael Kelly (actor)
Gus Kenworthy (American freestyle skier/Olympic medalist)
Jimmy Kimmel (television talk show host)
Nicholas Kristof (New York Times columnist)
Lady Gaga (musician)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Jane Levy (actress)
Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)
Li’l B (rapper)
Rush Limbaugh (radio talk show host)
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
Bill Madden (musician)
Rachel Maddow (television pundit)
Madonna (musician)
Joshua Malina (actor)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA)
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA)
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)
Rep. Don McEachin (D-VA)
Seth Meyers (television talk show host)
Alyssa Milano (actress)
Julianne Moore (actress)
Michael Moore (documentary producer)
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Sen Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)
Trevor Noah (television talk show host)
Joyce Carol Oates (author)
Lawrence O’Donnell (television pundit)
Bill O’Reilly (journalist/pundit)
Keith Olbermann (television pundit)
Patton Oswalt (actor)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA, House Minority Leader)
Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA)
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY)
Andy Richter (actor, talk show sidekick)
Pat Robertson (televangelist)
Gina Rodriguez (actress)
Emmy Rossum (actress)
Mark Ruffalo (actor)
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Jeffrey Sachs (economist, Columbia University professor, CNN commentator)
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (S-VT)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Amy Schumer (comedian/actress)
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA)
Nancy Sinatra (musician)
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Britney Spears (musician)
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA)
Amber Tamblyn (actress)
Bex Taylor-Klaus (actress)
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM)
Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL, former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee)
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
Kim Kardashian West (porn star)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Brian Williams (NBC “News” anchor)
Hayley Williams (musician)
Jeff Zeleny (CNN “news” reporter)
Roy Zimmerman (comedian, musician)
*Some politicians and others have made references to “taking action” and words to that effect. Although these phrases appear to be references to gun control legislation, they are not explicitly so. I have not included people whose comments were limited to these kinds of mild and indirect political references.
**CBS has terminated Ms. Geftman-Gold. A CBS spokeswoman said the following: “This individual, who was with us for approximately one year, violated the standards of our company and is no longer an employee of CBS. Her views as expressed on social media are deeply unacceptable to all of us at CBS. Our hearts go out to the victims in Las Vegas and their families.”
***Ms. Giffords was herself a victim of gun violence, so it might seems insensitive including her on this list. I included her because her statements were explicitly political. I note that Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) was also a victim of gun violence, but his statement today did not include any political references.
Author: Ken Falkenstein
Ken Falkenstein is the Managing Editor of Committed Conservative and brings a wealth of experience and expertise in public affairs to the job. Ken served in the U.S. Army in the last years of the Cold War as a Russian linguist for military intelligence and the NSA. After leaving the Army, he earned his degree in Secondary Education from Old Dominion University, where he also wrote a popular column in the student newspaper.
Upon graduation, Ken worked as a Legislative Aide to two Republican members of the Virginia House of Delegates. Ken also served as Corresponding Secretary of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia, managed several successful political campaigns, and managed governmental affairs operations for a local Realtor association.
In 1995, Ken moved to Washington, DC to serve as a Legislative Assistant to Sen. John Warner (R-VA). While working for Sen. Warner, Ken attended law school at night, earning his J.D. with honors from the George Mason University School of Law (n/k/a The Antonin Scalia Law School). Since that time, Ken has practiced as a civil litigation attorney, including serving for three years as an Associate City Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Ken previously was a contributor to the highly-regarded political blog Bearing Drift and was a weekly co-host of The Steve Batton Radio Program. In 2016, Ken ran unsuccessfully for the Virginia Beach School Board. Ken is also a former President of the Down Syndrome Association of Hampton Roads.
Ken now lives outside of Denver, Colorado with his wife, Kim, and three sons, Adam, Dylan, and Joshua, who has Down syndrome. Ken’s writing is motivated and informed primarily by his concern for his kids’ future.
