GOP congressman who witnessed baseball shooting uses audio of gunshots in controversial campaign ad
In an ad released on Monday, the Alabama congressman slammed reporters for asking whether the recent shooting, which seriously wounded House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, changed the congressman's mind about gun control.
"June 14: A Bernie Sanders supporter fires on Republican congressmen," text on the ad says. "Mo Brooks gives his belt as a tourniquet to help the wounded. What's the liberal media immediately ask?"
The ad immediately sparked some backlash online and garnered criticism from some Republicans like Scalise's chief of staff.
Brooks, who is running for one of Alabama's Senate seats in 2018, has long courted controversy as one of the most conservative and outspoken members of Congress.
He's currently running against Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Far-right commentators like Fox News' Sean Hannity and radio host Laura Ingraham are backing Brooks, citing his hardline immigration positions, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has strongly supported Strange, whom he feels is a reliable Senate vote.
In a previous campaign ad, he challenged lawmakers to fund President Donald Trump's proposed border wall, saying he would force a Senate shutdown if they did not comply.