30 Republicans in Congress have either been attacked or received death threats since the beginning of May.
Rep. David Kustoff of Tennessee, who was stalked by a woman named Wendi Wright who eventually tried to run his car off the road on May 8. A day later, Virginia Rep. Tom Garrett called for heavy secured at a town hall meeting, after receiving what police deemed to be “credible and real” death threats directed at Garrett, his wife, his children, and even the family dog.
Rep. Kevin Kramer of North Dakota was assaulted by a town hall participant, and Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona was told by a Tucson school district employee that her days “we numbered.”
On May 21, Florida Rep. Ted Yoho found his office vandalized by protesters—along with a chilling voicemail from a woman threatening to Yoho that she would “beast your f***cking ass.”
And on June 14, Rep. Steve Scalise was critically wounded during a baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., and remains hospitalized. While the quick actions of Capitol Police officers stopped the attack, a slew of other Republicans were on the field and also targeted by the shooter: Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Jeff Flake (Arizona.), and Kevin Brady (Texas), Jack Bergman (Mich.), Mike Bishop (Mich.), Mike Conaway (Texas), Roger Williams (Texas), John Moolenaar (Mich.), Gary Palmer (Ala.), Chuck Fleischmann (Tenn.), Ron DeSantis (Fla.), Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), Mark Walker (N.C.), Steve Pearce (N.M.), Brad Wenstrup (Ohio), Rodney Davis (Ill.), Jeff Duncan (S.C.), Trent Kelly (Miss.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), and Joe Barton (Texas).
Later that day, New York Rep. Claudia Tenney received an email referencing Scalise’s shooting, which read: “One down, 216 to go.”
On June 17, Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri revealed she got five death threats in the weeks before Scalise was shot, that her home had been vandalized with graffiti depicting dead bodies, and that even her church had been picketed.
And just yesterday, an Ohio man was arrested for threatening the life of Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, his wife, and his daughter in a voicemail. Later that day, Rep. Jason Chaffetz revealed a threatening voicemail he had received, threatening to “wrap a rope around your neck, and hang you from a lamppost.”
Violent rhetoric from the liberal left has heightened in recent months, since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. A number of high-profile celebrities—including comedian Kathy Griffin, singer Madonna, and actor Johnny Depp—have been under fire for fanning the flames by making especially violent threats against the Republican Party, and Donald Trump in particular.