Overview
- Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Knowles urged immediate federal action against what he called a growing threat from left‑leaning perpetrators.
- He recounted a 2023 University of Pittsburgh event disrupted by masked protesters, a burning effigy, smoke bombs and a thrown firework that he said left several officers injured, including a female officer with life‑altering wounds.
- Knowles criticized sentencing in the case, noting that Brian DiPippa received five years in prison and his wife received probation, which he characterized as too lenient for conduct he described as attempted murder.
- Arguing that left‑wing incidents outpace right‑wing ones, he pointed to CSIS-linked reporting referenced by The Atlantic and accused Democrats and liberal media of downplaying organized left‑wing violence.
- The hearing, convened by Chair Sen. Eric Schmitt and titled "Politically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order," also featured Chad Wolf, Daniel Hodges, William Braniff and Kyle Shideler, as Democrats on the panel called for bipartisan condemnation without assigning blame, with concern heightened after the killing of Charlie Kirk.