Rep. Louie Gohmert links Colorado shooting to attack on Judeo-Christians

The Ticket

Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert on Friday chose to link the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting to an assault on Judeo-Christian values.

Gohmert was asked Friday morning on the Heritage Foundation's "Istook Live!" radio show to explain why he believes acts of violence such as this one take place, Jennifer Bendery first reported for The Huffington Post.

He responded by speaking about the Founding Fathers' fight and our nation remaining at war "with the pillars of" this country.

"You know what really gets me, as a Christian, is to see the ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and then some senseless crazy act of a derelict takes place," the Texas congressman told host former Republican Rep. Ernest Istook.

Istook immediately jumped in to say that the motivation remains unknown. Police, family and witnesses haven't yet offered any motivation for the attack by suspect James Holmes.

But Gohmert continued speaking about attacks on religion. "People say ... where was God in all of this?" he said and later questioned why the shooter wasn't stopped.

"Was there nobody that was carrying a gun that could have stopped this guy more quickly?" he asked.

Gohmert said in a statement Friday that some of his comments from the interview "have been taken out of context" and posted a complete transcript of the "Istook Live!" segment on his website.

He offered the following response to the shooting:

My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost their loved ones because of senseless violence last night in Aurora, Colorado. This tragedy is not only heartbreaking—it is incomprehensible. We should unite together as compassionate Americans to comfort those who are mourning. It is my prayer that we will cling tightly as 'one nation under God' and lift each other up in ongoing prayer, as well as, bringing physical comfort and support during this heartbreaking time.