Tipsheet

Cory Booker Cites 'Right-Wing Extremist Groups' When Asked About ISIS-Inspired Pulse Shooting

Presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) pointed to violence committed by "right-wing extremist groups" when he was asked about the Pulse nightclub shooting that was carried out by an ISIS supporter.

Booker was participating in CNN's "Equality Town Hall" when he was asked by Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the attack, on what he would do as president to "ensure that law enforcement is equipped to treat marginalized victims of crime with dignity and respect."

"So first of all, very clearly, it is a national emergency, the majority of the terrorist attacks in this country since 9/11 had been right-wing extremist groups, the majority of them had been white supremacist and hate groups, and I will elevate as president of the United States an office on hate crimes and white supremacy to make sure it is a presidential level effort to protect our country as a whole," Booker said.

"But I’m not stopping there, and we need a Department of Justice that investigates hate crimes. We must — we must take the steps necessary to keep these weapons out of the hands of people that are doing those crimes, but we can’t stop there," he continued. "Thirty percent of LGBTQ youth, 30% have reported missing school in the last month because of fears for their physical safety."

The Pulse shooter called 911 during his attack to pledge allegiance to ISIS and mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers, according to CNN.