Democrats are calling for authorities to evaluate security for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and the other three freshmen members of the so-called “Squad,” arguing that President Trump’s verbal attacks on them at a recent rally in North Carolina have threatened their safety, according to Politico.
“It’s crystal clear to me that her life is in imminent danger,” Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) told the outlet. “He has threatened the safety of a member of Congress. That takes this to a whole different level.”
Trump later disavowed the chant, and Omar reportedly told reporters Thursday she was not worried about her personal safety.
But according to Politico, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms office “about making sure that our members have what they need for their protection,” and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) has sent two recent letters to Capitol Police, urging them to reevaluate their security protocols for Omar and the other freshmen.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has also reportedly said she has concerns for her safety and is discussing with Democrats whether to ask for additional security.
However, while Democrats warn of threats against their own members, they have been largely silent about an attacker who claimed to be a member of the far-left Antifa movement who tried to firebomb an immigration detention facility on Saturday, threatening immigrants and facility workers.
“Squad” members Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) remained silent when a Rebel News reporter asked them if they would condemn the attack on the detention facility.
In the meantime, Republican firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) revealed this week on Fox News that the authorities have identified a man who made repeated death threats against him and his family, but are declining to press charges.
The man in a phone call said:
Gaetz, you pathetic piece of s***. Do you know that I could blow your f***ing head clean off you should from a mile away? Watch your back, b****. You pathetic piece of s***. You got your head so far up Trump’s a**, I could still take it off your shoulders. F*** you Gaetz. I’m coming after you, b****.
Gaetz told the Northwest Florida Daily News: “These threats are unique in that they are very specific about how the individual intends to kill me, and a specific threat to my family. … That was unique to this occurrence.”
He said federal prosecutors in California, where the man is located, have declined to press charges, despite a federal statute that makes it a crime to threaten a federal official or that official’s family.
“It’s hard to understand how the U.S. Attorney in California and the FBI would not deem these recordings threats,” he told the paper. “He committed a crime and he’s not going to be prosecuted for it by the U.S. Attorney in his area. That strikes me as really problematic.”
Last month, a 35-year-old woman and political challenger named Amanda Kondrat’yev threw a milkshake at Gaetz as he was leaving an event in Pensacola, Florida. She was arrested and charged with battery.