At least nine Democratic members of Congress said they received bomb threats to their homes on Thanksgiving or the day after, after similar threats were made against some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks earlier in the week.
Those targeted were Sen. Chris Murphy and Reps. Jim Himes, Jahana Hayes, Joe Courtney, John Larson and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut; Rep. Seth Magaziner and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island; and Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts.
In a statement on Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., condemned the threats, which he said ranged from “detailed threats of a pipe bomb placed in mailboxes to swatting, all signed with ‘MAGA’ at the conclusion of the message.”
“Threats of violence against elected officials are unacceptable, unconscionable and have no place in a civilized society,” Jeffries added. He also called for Congress to provide “maximum protection” to House Democrats and their families.
The incidents have increased concerns about potential violence amid deep political polarization. Threats against public officials have been on the rise over the past decade, fueled in part by partisan attacks by politicians themselves.
Earlier in the week, several Republicans who have been named to Trump’s Cabinet said they were targeted by bomb threats and swatting attacks, which usually involve a false 911 report of an emergency to elicit an aggressive, sometimes deadly police response to a location. The FBI said it is investigating those incidents. The agency has not publicly commented on the threats against Democrats. However, President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that his administration is working with the FBI on those cases, NBC News reported. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has also condemned the violent threats, calling it “dangerous and insane behavior.” “Regardless of what party you belong to, your political opponents are not your enemies,” Johnson wrote in a post on X.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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