May 06, 2024 - 10:39
By huffpost.com

Mark Kelly Sounds The Alarm On Kari Lake's 'Dangerous' Message To Supporters

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) declared that Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake’s rhetoric could get people killed on Sunday after she called on supporters to “strap on a Glock” ahead of the election in November.

Lake, an election-denying conspiracy theorist, predicted an “intense” period leading up to the election at a rally last month before encouraging voters to arm themselves “just in case.”

“Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker brought up Lake’s remarks to Kelly before referring to former President Donald Trump, who recently told Time that it “depends on the fairness” of the election when asked about violence around it.

“What’s your reaction when you hear language like that?” asked Welker, who noted that the former astronaut’s wife — ex-Rep. Gabby Giffords — survived a shooting at a constituent event in 2011.

“It’s dangerous. What Kari Lake said could result in people getting hurt or killed. Same thing with the former [president],” Kelly replied.

“You say words can translate into violence?” Welker asked.

“Absolutely, especially when they come from somebody in a leadership position,” he responded.

Kelly noted that Lake has yet to be elected “to anything” and he doesn’t expect that to change as she looks to face off against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) to fill an open U.S. Senate seat.

“When you’re a candidate for the United States Senate, you need to be careful with your words. We’ve seen this throughout history,” Kelly said.

“So, I hope people reject that. I think they should consider their language and try to do better going forward.”