title:  Trump Invites Friend Who Called For Hillary To Be Shot To Hang Out, Take Seflies In White House
text: Days after Trump and his team cynically seized on the shooting of Republican Congressman Steve Scalise to argue Democrats were stoking violence by opposing Trump, the White House hosted an event with Al Baldasaro, a man who was investigated by the Secret Service for threatening to kill Hillary Clinton just months ago.Team Trump was so thrilled to have Baldasaro in the East Room (where former presidents typically hosted dignitaries and icons, not clowns and assholes) that some posed for selfies with him.On the left you have Al Baldasaro in the East Room today. He called for Hillary Clinton to be shot by a firing squad https://t.co/6VNHm9jmCK pic.twitter.com/4jKrsDVYKw  Yashar Ali (@yashar) June 23, 2017And here's @KellyannePolls today with Baldasaro who called for Clinton to be shot by a firing squad twice. https://t.co/6VNHm9jmCK pic.twitter.com/5A0umreNXk  Yashar Ali (@yashar) June 23, 2017Per New York Times reporters Glenn Thrush and Maggie Haberman, Baldasora was there to celebrate one of Trump s publicity bill signings in the White House.The guy who called for Hillary Clinton to be shot last year was invited to Trump's bill signing at the WH today, per pooler @maggieNYT  Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) June 23, 2017Almost exactly one year ago, Baldasaro was under investigation after going on a violent rant about then-candidate Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason. His words echoed Trump s own. Then-candidate Trump had stoked the idea that Hillary Clinton had committed  treason  and his followers ate it up. At one point, he encouraged  2nd Amendment  people to take care of her if she were to get elected. (He later claimed it was a joke.)Flashforward to today.The double standards are obvious. The same team that smiled and posed for pictures with Baldasaro were condemning liberal celebrities like Kathy Griffin for promoting violence against Trump just days ago. Kellyanne Conway, no stranger to blatant hypocrisy, ran to the nearest camera to condemn Democrats for Scalise s shooting by a lone gunman.You can oppose policies, but it s done with such hateful, charged rhetoric that active resistance becomes armed resistance in the case of this lone gunman. The fact that she not only tolerates but celebrates a right-winger who has called for her political opponent to be shot speaks volumes.Press Secretary (for the moment) Sean Spicer was asked why Trump thought it was okay to invite this lunatic to a White House event and, as usual, Spicer played dumb.Spicer asked about why it's okay to have Baldasaro in East Room, he seemed genuinely unaware (or not remembering) the assassination call.  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 23, 2017Spicer also claimed that Trump  condemned  any calls for political violence   ignoring that Trump had praised Baldasaro just days after he had attacked Hillary Clinton in 2016. If Trump s  condemnation  is to praise the guy he s condemning then invite him for a photo op in the East Room, it s hard to see how that qualifies for standing up to violence.Featured image via Twitter