Johnson condemns "insane" bomb threats against Democrats [View all]

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Source: Axios

9 hours ago


House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday condemned a series of bomb threats targeting House and Senate Democrats from New England over the Thanksgiving recess.

Why it matters: The incidents left members of Congress feeling shaken and beleaguered by the increasingly relentless cycle of violence facing American political figures.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' (D-N.Y.) office said each threat was "signed with 'MAGA' at the conclusion of the message."

Several Trump nominees, including Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) and former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) were targeted by bomb threats as well this week.

What they're saying: "This is dangerous and insane behavior," Johnson said of the bomb threats against Democrats in a post on the social media site X.

"Regardless of what party you belong to, your political opponents are not your enemies. This is not who we are in America," he added.

House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.) had told Axios in a statement that there is "no place for threats or political violence in our democracy."

State of play: All but one member of the Connecticut delegation was targeted by the threats on Thanksgiving morning.

Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said Friday that they, too, received similar threats.

None of the threats were determined to be credible, with the lawmakers all saying law enforcement did not recover any explosives at their homes.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/11/30/mike-johnson-condemns-bomb-threats-democrats