Kate Bedingfield, a CNN political analyst, clashed with prominent conservative strategist Scott Jennings on Tuesday over remarks Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's murder last week.
Shapiro said, "We have a clear and unequivocal responsibility to call out all forms of political violence" during a speech he gave on Tuesday. He also accused President Donald Trump of "cherry picking" political violence cases to discuss publicly for political purposes. His comments come at a time of intense debate about the political beliefs of the shooter who assassinated Kirk at a Utah university campus.
Jennings claimed Shapiro was being dishonest in his remarks, a claim that Bedingfield took issue with. Jennings instead attempted to further the narrative that left-wing groups in America are more violent than Right-wing groups.
"I think there is a rush by Democrats who want to be president in 2028 to try to turn, somehow, Donald Trump's friend gets shot and now everybody wants to blame Trump for him being shot," Jennings said. "I guess that's what it takes to be elected president."
Bedingfield clarified Shapiro's point that it doesn't matter which side of the political aisle the shooter was on. She said that all political violence needs to be condemned.
Jennings pushed back, saying the motivations of the killer do matter.
"It should be condemned regardless," Bedingfield said. "That was the entire point of his speech. To sit here and suggest that his not mentioning it was some sort of sleight of hand, you missed the entire point of what he was saying, and it's a message that's badly needed in this country."