James T. Hodgkinson, the shooter at a congressional baseball practice Wednesday, had a “disturbing” and “negative” history on his Facebook page, according to Linda Li, a 2016 congressional candidate who unfriended Hodgkinson due to his activity.
Hodgkinson allegedly shot at a group of Republican congressmen as they were practicing for an annual charity game. The shooter, 66, wounded House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, congressional staffer Zack Barth, two Capitol Police officers, and lobbyist Matt Mika. The Capitol Police officers, who were part of Scalise’s security detail, returned fire. Hodgkinson later died from injuries sustained during the shootout.
Li said that she never met Hodgkinson in person, but she apparently became acquainted with Hodgkinson on Facebook in 2015 during her campaign for the 2016 election in Pennsylvania’s 7th District, commenting with a smiley face on one of his photos in August 2015. She later withdrew from the Pennsylvania race due to a lawsuit filed by another Democratic candidate.
Li told The Daily Caller News Foundation that, while she unfriended Hodgkinson more than a year ago, she’s been unable to delete the comment or unlike the photo.
“I’ve reported it to Facebook,” she said.
Hodgkinson volunteered for the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and frequently made provocative comments on his posts.
“I found him disturbing,” Li said. “I just didn’t want his negative rhetoric in my world.”
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