Adviser to Democratic donor apologizes for suggesting Trump shooting may be staged

An adviser to a Democratic mega-donor apologized on Sunday for suggesting the possibility of Republican former President Donald Trump's shooting being staged.

Democratic strategist Dmitri Mehlhorn is an adviser to billionaire Reid Hoffman who is a co-founder of social media platform LinkedIn and a major donor to mostly Democratic candidates.

News website Semafor reported that Mehlhorn, in an email to some sympathetic journalists and supporters, said there was a possibility "that this 'shooting' was encouraged and maybe even staged so Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash."

Mehlhorn apologized on Sunday.

"Last night, I sent an email I now regret. I drafted and sent it without consulting my team. I have apologized to them directly. I also want to apologize publicly, without reservation, for allowing my words to distract from last night's central fact: political violence took yet another innocent American life," Mehlhorn said.

"We must unite in condemnation of such violence in every instance, without reservation. Any other topic is a distraction."

Reuters