FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday that it's evident "how out-of-control political violence is in this country." Of the "thousands and thousands" of tips reported to the FBI, the language is "just mind bogglingly hateful and violent," he said. Wray's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, which focused on what the FBI is learning about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, made several references to ways in which political violence and heated rhetoric complicate an already "complex threat environment" today in the United States. Responding to questions from Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., about what more Congress could do to alleviate the danger, Wray said the FBI's lane "is the violence and the threats of violence. " But "there's a role for everybody as Americans to try to see if we can take the temperature down" — including being more thoughtful in language used on social media. Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour

WrayFBITrump assassination attemptTrump shootingAssassination attemptTrumpFBI oversightSecret ServiceUS Secret ServiceMerrick GarlandChristopher WrayHouse JudiciaryPBSPBS NewsPoliticsPolitics news