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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called on Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to “condemn” his pastor’s Sunday sermon, claiming that Talarico’s pastor “made light” of the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this past Saturday.
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has centered his campaign and progressive policies — which include anti-ICE and open borders messaging — on his faith background. At the same time, he has railed against Christian nationalism and called for the separation of church and state.
“James Talarico claims to be campaigning on love and kindness, but his Pastor made light of an assassination attempt on the President of the United States in Washington, DC this weekend where a Secret Service officer was seriously injured,” Cornyn posted on X. “All Texans should be outraged and Talarico must condemn it.”
On Sunday, Talarico’s minister, Dr. Jim Rigby, mentioned the assassination attempt during his sermon, saying that he knows “a lot of people have mixed feelings” about the third attempt on Trump’s life. His comment garnered light laughter from the audience.
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“But it’s really important that if we’re going to be the healing agents of the world to realize that violence is not going to get rid of the problem we have,” Rigby said.
He went on to say that the Confederacy is the “heart of the MAGA movement” and that it’s a “fascistic movement.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday was cut short after an armed gunman rushed the doors leading to the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel. He fired several shots before being apprehended by law enforcement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the alleged attempted assassin Cole Thomas Allen, 31, was “set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president,” according to a preliminary review of evidence.
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Rigby accused Cornyn of taking his words out of context.
“In my sermon yesterday I made it perfectly clear that violence is not the answer. Senator Cornyn is editing my words to deceive voters in Texas,” Rigby said. “In no way do I speak for James Talarico nor his campaign.”
A spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign referred Fox News Digital to a post made by Talarico on Sunday following the assassination attempt, in which he condemned political violence.
“I am thankful the President, Vice President, and the rest of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attendees are safe after last night’s shooting,” Talarico said in the statement. “Political violence is unacceptable in every form, and we must continue to call it out wherever it rears its ugly head.”
A spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign did not immediately comment on Rigby’s “mixed feelings” remark about the alleged assassination attempt.
National Republican Senate Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell slammed Talarico’s silence on Rigby’s remark.
“It’s hard to believe James Talarico is serious about condemning political violence while he stands by and helps his pastor radicalize an entire congregation,” Cantrell said.
Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft called Talarico’s “self-proclaimed mentor’s” remark “disgusting.”
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“But it is nothing new,” Kraft said. “Democrats have fanned the flames of radical left-wing violence for years and gleefully put targets on the back of President Trump, Charlie Kirk and conservatives, and conservatives across America. To Talarico and Democrats, murder is simply the cost of doing business in their conquest for power.”
Rigby is a vocal supporter of leftist causes. The Washington Examiner reported in March that Rigby spoke at a pro-Palestinian protest in 2009.
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“If there is to be hope for humankind, then we must all realize that the true jihad is the struggle for peace and justice,” Rigby said during his speech.
In the Islamic faith, jihad is understood by some to be an inner struggle meant to bring an individual closer to God, but the term has been invoked by terrorists and Islamic extremists to commit acts of violence in broader political contexts.
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