Despite Wednesday's shooting, Capitol Hill lawmakers will still take to the mound for the annual baseball game that pits Democrats against Republicans in the name of charity. Can't make it to Washington, D.C. to watch the rivalry live? Then here's how to watch the Congressional Baseball Game from the comfort of your couch.
The 108th Congressional Baseball Game for Charity will take place Thursday night at Nationals Park, the home field for the Washington Nationals. The annual event begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and will be televised by C-SPAN, according to Deadline. AL.com also reported that the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity's Facebook page will host a livestream of the game.
The Congressional Sports for Charity, the organizer behind Thursday night's event, said in a statement after Wednesday morning's shooting,
The Members of Congress, the staff and the volunteers who were out at practice ... care deeply about the causes they play to benefit. We believe the best way to honor them is to play the game as scheduled tomorrow night.
The organization also paid homage to the local law enforcement present at Wednesday's practice. It said in the statement that, if it weren't for the Capitol Police and Alexandria City Police, the shooting "could have been even worse."
On Wednesday morning, shortly after 7 a.m. Eastern Time, a gunman with a rifle opened fired on Republican lawmakers and congressional staff who were practicing for the annual charity game at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia. Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was among the five people injured, and is currently in critical condition after being shot in the hip, according to CNBC. A congressional staff member, a lobbyist, and two officers with Capitol Police were also wounded by the shooter, who was shot and killed by police.
According to Deadline, Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania said at a joint news conference with Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who oversees his political party's team, that "it shouldn't take an incident like this to bring us together." Doyle, who manages the Democratic team, continued,
At times of tragedy, Americans do that. Joe and I have been reflecting a lot lately on how we can still maintain our principles and our legislative agendas, but we could do it in a more civil way. And when the leadership of this country is civil toward one another, maybe the public will start being civil toward one another too.
Proceeds from the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, which started in 1909, will benefit four charities: the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, Washington Literacy Center, the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, and now the Capitol Police Memorial Fund, in support of Wednesday's shooting.
