Washington – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan called on Monday for the release of the full transcript of calls a gunman made as he killed dozens at a Florida nightclub as a political battle over gun violence brewed in the U.S. Congress.
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“Selectively editing this transcript is preposterous. We know the shooter was a radical Islamist extremist inspired by ISIS. We also know he intentionally targeted the LGBT community,” Ryan, the top elected Republican official, said in a statement.
“The administration should release the full, unredacted transcript so the public is clear-eyed about who did this and why,” Ryan said.
Ryan has not seen the full transcript of the calls that Omar Mateen made as he killed 49 people and injured 50 others during a three-hour rampage at gay nightclub Pulse on June 12.
“The administration hasn’t shared the full transcript with Congress,” a spokesman for Ryan said.
The massacre in Orlando prompted many congressional Democrats to renew calls for increased regulation of gun sales. Such controls are staunchly opposed by many of Ryan’s fellow Republicans and some Democrats, who worry they could impinge on the U.S. constitutional right to bear arms.
Since the shooting Republicans have focused more on what links Mateen may have had to radical Islamic groups, such as Islamic State.
The U.S. Senate is due to vote later Monday on four weapons-related measured, two sponsored by Democrats and two by Republicans, but none is expected to get the 60 votes needed to advance.
I guess Ryan assumes that the speaker has to assume the “criticizer in chief” role.