SHEPARD SMITH (HOST): Let's turn to Chris Wallace now, host of Fox News Sunday. Chris, you just can't ignore the politics of all this, even if you wanted to. These are people the president has gone after rhetorically. These are people this guy targeted. He's a big supporter. It goes to the tone and tenor of the political discourse and the words that the president uses in his rallies and all the rest.
CHRIS WALLACE (FOX NEWS SUNDAY ANCHOR): Yes, but. And the but is that, I don't think you can draw any particular link or any responsibility on the part of the president for this action. I mean, as Sarah Sanders said and as was just repeated by John Roberts, a Bernie Sanders supporter shot up the congressman at the baseball practice. Is Bernie Sanders responsible for that? There's no question.
SMITH: No one said he was responsible. I'm just saying the political -- the rhetorical discourse in this country has devolved over time and the president says we need to unify. Well, some of that begins with the rhetoric, does it not?
WALLACE: Well, it would certainly be good, but I think it's separate and apart from the actions of this guy. This is a twisted person. There are 300 million Americans and they may be part of the furious political debate in the country but they don't put explosive devices in packages.
[CROSSTALK]
SMITH: When you talk like this, the concern is that that one crazy one might then get empowered. We don't know what happened in this case. But overall, Chris --
WALLACE: But we do know what happened.
SMITH: No I mean we don't know if he goes, oh President Trump hates him so I'm going to go target him. We don't know any of that kind of stuff.
WALLACE: But what difference does it make, Shep?
SMITH: I don't know, it just seems like the rhetoric is unhelpful.
...
SMITH: The rhetoric from the podium, the CNN sucks chants, the lock her up chants, all the rest, it doesn't bring unity. Psychologists --
WALLACE: I agree it doesn't bring unity --
SMITH: I don't know what we're fighting about Chris.
WALLACE: But it also doesn't bring explosive devices.
SMITH: No one said it does. But to ignore the elephant in the room is just, you know, it's a fool's folly.
WALLACE: I think that it's really incorrect to somehow hold the president either by implication or directly responsible --
SMITH: I didn't say that and you know it Chris.
WALLACE: In any way for the misdeeds of a person who is a psychopath or a sociopath.
SMITH: No one did that though, Chris, and don't say I did. All I said was when the rhetoric gets loud, the crazies come out sometime.
