Costello Statement on orlando terrorist attack

"I am shocked and disgusted over what happened in Orlando yesterday. I offer my deepest sympathies and extend prayers of comfort and peace to the families who lost loved ones and to those injured. To law enforcement and medical personnel involved in this horrific episode, we extend our gratitude. Words alone cannot express all I am feeling and thinking.

The targeted attack on LGBT Americans by an ISIS-inspired homegrown terrorist angers and saddens me, as I'm sure it does you. Radical Islamic terrorism in America is a very real and dangerous threat. An attack on one American is an attack on us all - an attack on our freedoms, liberties, and who we are as a country.

I have heard many in the news media try to diagnose why this terrorist committed such a horrific act, or what could we as a country have done to prevent it. While these are certainly relevant questions, the bottom line is that hate has no place in America. Terrorism is an evil that must be systematically defended against and dismantled aggressively, assertively and comprehensively.

As I share these thoughts with you, I still struggle to find the right words that reflect all of the thoughts in my head. My sincere hope is that we don't view this terrible tragedy as a political opportunity to point fingers or assign blame, when in fact the blame resides in the despicable terrorist who committed murders. I promise you that I will not."