Texas Democratic Senate candidates sidestep Islamic terrorism concerns following deadly Austin attack
Neither of the two frontrunners in the Texas Democratic Senate primary addressed concerns about Islamic terrorism in the wake of a deadly shooting on Sunday morning in Austin that left three dead and more than a dozen others wounded.
Instead, just a day ahead of a competitive Senate primary, James Talarico and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, focused on the effectiveness of prayer and delivered a warning against stereotyping immigrants.
"I believe in the power of prayer. I believe prayer changes lives. But there is something profoundly cynical in asking God to solve a problem we’re not willing to solve ourselves," Talarico said in an interview with MS Now.
"We prayed, and God sent lawmakers with commonsense gun safety proposals like universal background checks, red flag laws," he added.
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Crockett, for her part, warned viewers on TikTok against extrapolating conclusions about the violence to minorities and immigrants.
"Listen, every time there’s some crazy situation like this, black folks sit around and say, ‘Oh, I hope they’re not black,’ because we know that’s going to be an additional target on our backs. We know that the immigrant community was probably holding their breath and saying, ‘Oh, I hope it wasn’t an immigrant.’"
But Crockett and Talarico did not address any mention of Islamic terrorism or whether it might pose an additional risk to Americans in light of recent U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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Their silence on the topic drew condemnation from at least one GOP observer.
"Absolutely disgusting stuff. James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett are blaming hardworking Texans who go to church and lawfully own guns, instead of the radical Islamic terrorist who committed this heinous act," Zach Kraft, an RNC spokesman, said.
Ndiaga Diagne, 53, opened fire at a bar scene in Austin while wearing a hoodie with the words "property of Allah" emblazoned on the front. While his specific motives remain unclear, police searching his home with a warrant later discovered an Iranian flag and photos of Islamic leaders.
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Diagne was shot dead by local police.
The shooting comes on the heels of strikes carried out by the U.S. and Israel on Saturday that targeted Iran’s military leadership and killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a press event on Monday, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said local police had invited federal authorities to the scene to investigate the attack as a possible act of terrorism.
"We’re looking at the totality of this. We see these indicators, we’re thinking about events and what’s occurring in the country as well. The motives – all of those things, that’s what the investigation is about right now," Davis said.
Asked how lawmakers could prevent attacks in the future, Crockett said she believes a majority of shooters in the U.S. are White.
"If I was to give you the facts as to who the shooters have been in these mass shootings, I can guarantee you — the vast majority of them have been White, male and homegrown. But we don’t see them taking any action on that," Crockett said.
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Crockett did not explain how she would use that insight as a senator to prevent shootings in the future.
"We need to actually do something about guns. Don’t sit there and say that it’s the immigrants. Maybe it’s your lax laws when it comes to guns," she added.
Talarico said the U.S. should prevent "dangerous people from entering the country."
"Dangerous people should not be allowed to get guns," Talarico added, doubling down on his red-flag proposals, policies that aim to screen would-be gun buyers against stiffer background checks.
Neither Talarico’s nor Crockett’s campaign replied to a request for comment.