WATCH: Political violence in the U.S. is 'out of control,' FBI director says

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