The Bernie Sanders supporter who tried to kill numerous GOP lawmakers did not commit his violent acts in a vacuum.  James Hodgkinson may have pulled the trigger that critically wounded House majority whip Steve Scalise and two others. But the hysterical threats of violence against Republicans and President Trump could not have escaped his notice.

Hodgkinson was a regular viewer of Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show and worshipped Bernie Sanders.  There is little doubt that someone so immersed in left-wing politics heard the calls for blood and violence against Republicans.

Breitbart has a list of 15 Hollywood celebrities who made overt and chilling threats against the GOP and President Trump.

Hollywood has issued dire predictions and hysterical warnings about Donald Trump ever since the Republican businessman first announced his candidacy for the presidency in June 2015.

But the level of vitriol and violent rhetoric against now-President Trump has increased substantially in recent weeks, from comedian Kathy Griffin's now-famous shock "beheading" photograph to Shakespeare in the Park's not-at-all-subtle "assassination" of Trump on a stage in New York City's Central Park.

Unfortunately, Griffin and the director of Julius Caesar are not anomalies in Hollywood; actors, writers, directors, and other celebrities have fantasized about using violence against Trump, his supporters, and other GOP lawmakers for at least the past 18 months.

Breitbart lists 15 examples of celebrity calls for violence.  A few examples:

1. Kathy Griffin 'Beheads' Trump in Graphic Photo

2. Madonna – "I've thought a lot about blowing up the White House."

3. Snoop Dogg "Shoots" Trump in the Head in Music Video

4. Robert De Niro: "I'd Like to Punch Him in the Face"

5. Joss Whedon: "I Want a Rhino to [F---] Paul Ryan to Death"

6. Shakespeare in the Park Stabs 'Trump' to Death in Performance of 'Julius Caesar

10. Rapper YG Threatens Trump with "[F---] Donald Trump" Song

11. Marilyn Manson Kills 'Trump' in Music Video

And let's not forget actual violence and intimidation that has been carried out against Republicans:

Daily Caller:

Even before Wednesday's shooting, Republicans were growing used to being on the receiving end of violence and intimidation amid an increasingly hostile political climate where left-wingers portrayed them as "fascists."

One of Virginia Rep. Tom Garrett's town halls last month featured a heavy police presence after Garrett and his family were targeted by repeated death threats. "This is how we're going to kill your wife," read one such message, Garrett told Politico. "I don't want to die anytime soon. I got stuff left to do, I hope. But when you pull wives and children in, that's not cool."

Just days after the Politico article ran, FBI agents arrested a Tucson Unified School District employee for making violent threats against Arizona Rep. Martha McSally. Agents said 58-year-old Steve Martan left threatening voicemails for McSally, telling the Republican congresswoman that her days were "numbered." 

Also last month, police in Tennessee charged 35-year-old Wendi Wright with felony reckless endangerment for allegedly trying to run Republican Congressman David Kustoff off the road after a town hall he held regarding the GOP health care bill. If Wright stays out of trouble and abides by the terms of her one-year restraining order, then all charges will be expunged from her record, reported BuzzFeed, which covered the story in sympathetic terms. "Wendi Wright can't have any contact with Republican Rep. David Kustoff for a year after she chased after him for his vote on Obamacare last month," read the story's sub-headline.

The same day Wright was charged, police in North Dakota escorted a man from a town hall with Rep. Kevin Cramer after the man became physical with the Republican congressman and shoved a fistful of money into Cramer's collar.

There have been many comparisons between Jared Loughner, the man who shot Rep. Gabby Giffords, and Hodgkinson.  The parallels are ridiculous, as is Loughner's supposed "trigger" for the attack: an obscure map published by Sarah Palin's PAC that showed Giffords's congressional district in crosshairs.  Loughner, a mentally disturbed man, diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, was oblivious to the rantings of right-wing fringe players and almost certainly never saw the Palin PAC map (almost no one did).

Hodgkinson, on the other hand, followed far-left politics every day, immersing himself in the conspiracy theories and anti-Trump hysteria of the left.  He could not have helped being directly influenced by the threats and acts of violence against Republicans.

For that reason, the far left in Hollywood and elsewhere have blood on their hands.