FBI Probing Threats Against Democratic House Members

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | March 24, 2010 at 06:57 pm

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Conservative Activists Targeted Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been called in by local authorities in the state of Virginia to investigate a severed gas line at the residence of Representative Tom Perriello's brother.

A conservative activist from Virginia had erroneously posted the address, believing it to be that of the Democratic congressman, officials say.

Politico wrote about the mix up here.

This act was apparently in retaliation for the fact that Perriello had voted for President Obama's historic healthcare bill.

Perriello called for Americans to "condemn threats of violence".

He added that threats to political leaders and their children has been "escalating" in recent months.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters that FBI agents and U.S. Capitol Police spoke to Democratic lawmakers today about how to handle security threats.

Acts of vandalism involving lawmakers' offices - include the breaking of a glass door at the Tucson office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., on Monday - have been reported by the Associated Press . Giffords also voted for the health care bill.

USA TODAY journalist Kevin Johnson says the FBI is appealing for public assistance to identify possible sources of threats.

An FBI spokesperson said that these threats were being taken "extremely seriously".

It was confirmed that FBI officials participated in a briefing for congressional officials . The conference was called by U.S. Capitol Police.

Gifford's office has reportedly received many phone calls with "nasty and rude and hateful comments" from opponents of the health care bill but no death threats.

Threats of snipers and an "obscene display"

Separately, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., today reported two "alarming" incidents that occurred last week. A brick was thrown through a window in her district office. Additionally, someone left her voicemail message "referencing snipers."

The FBI is investigating. In her statement , the congresswoman spoke of the "obscene" weekend display, the spewing of expletives and actually spitting while GOP Congressmen applauded.

A prior Now Public feature by this author had spoken of the new conservatism as the fulfillment of Jose Ortega y Gasset's horrific prophesy written in 1933, of a vulgar mass which would rise up and begin to crush the educated and cultivated, in a howling cry against the liberalism that had allowed them to gain power.

Updated at 6 p.m. ET. Mike Troxel, the blogger who admitted he posted the Perriello address, could not be reached for comment today and his website was inaccessible. Troxel is "a participant" in a tea party group in Lynchburg, Va., says the group's chairman, Mark Lloyd.
"The Lynchburg TEA Party, and the TEA Party movement, do not encourage violence, damage to property, or criminal activity of any sort," Lloyd said in an e-mailed statement.

Lloyd noted that the address wasn't posted on the Lynchburg group's website but on Troxel's blog. Reached by phone, Lloyd declined to put a reporter in touch with Troxel Wednesday afternoon.

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Rory Cripps

at 19:47 on March 24th, 2010

HA! Agent provocateur and a good one at that! Feign the most base actions against a "progressive" proponent of unpopular and controversial legislation and blame the reactionaries for it . . . .

Just to demonstrate that it's only the ignorant and unenlightened that are against the legislation and that the ignorant and unenlightened will resort to violence and mayhem because they didn't get their way. And no, no, no! A "progressive", otherwise known by the majority of Americans as a "left wing loon", would never commit such an act

The American people really need to take some political science and history courses so that they won't be fooled again. Education is the key to solving most of America's problems . . . .

The_Cynic

at 22:03 on March 24th, 2010

As always, Rory, I hate to burst your bubble.

http://open.salon.com/blog/paul_j_orourke/2010/03/24/news_pres_signs_h-care_insurance_mandate-212_years_ago

Rory Cripps

at 09:29 on March 25th, 2010

Cynic: You couldn't burst a bubble if you tried! HA! Doesn't make you a bad person though! LOL! I see that we have the usual "progressive" suspects commenting on this page. What the hell happened to ROY? MINCHIA AND A DOUBLE JEEZ! He's not even talking to myself and the author of this post .....................You out there Roy?

nanute

at 01:57 on March 25th, 2010

Yes. It's just another "isolated incident" by right wing reactionaries that are being encouraged to take action against the evil progressive/liberals that are ruining the country. How do you square the actions against pro-life, conservative Democrat, Bart Stupak?

Bart Stupak threatened: "I hope you bleed out your ass, get cancer and die."

"Congressman Stupak, you baby-killing mother f***er... I hope you bleed out your a**, got cancer and die, you mother f***er," one man says in a message to Stupak.

"There are millions of people across the country who wish you ill," a woman says in a voicemail, "and all of those thoughts that are projected on you will materialize into something that's not very good for you."

Karen Hatter

at 08:48 on March 25th, 2010

Nanute, it has always been my position that some of those calling themselves pro life would do better to call themselves anti abortion, especially when they wish death and advocate the death of others.

It seems not all life is sacred to them.

Barbara McPherson

at 08:10 on March 25th, 2010

I have to agree with Rory that education is the key. Democracy doesn't mean that you get your own way. It means that the majority rule - even if, in your opinion, they make the wrong decisions.

Karen Hatter

at 09:01 on March 25th, 2010

That is what's most bizarre about these developing events, Barbara, and those stoking the anger of citizens by proclaiming somehow majority rule is tyranny should be held accountable.

Those numbers that have been touted, claiming the majority of Americans didn't want health care reform included Americans that wanted a public option and those who felt the reform wasn't liberal enough and didn't go far enough, a fact not being highlighted when mostly Republican politicians kept saying the 'majority of Americans' didn't want the bill, the implication being they didn't want reform.

nanute

at 11:54 on March 25th, 2010

Education's the key: It's a reminder of what the 19th-century educator Horace Mann once too-loftily said: "Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge." (hat tip: John Amato.) New online Harris poll basically says: Republicans are insane

Karen Hatter

at 19:04 on March 25th, 2010

Nanute, a helluva quote with " .... breeds monsters to fill up the vacancies of the soul ...." seeming most pertinent.

Susan Marie Kovalinsky

at 10:26 on March 25th, 2010

It just gets sicker, reconfirming the prophey of Ortega:

http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2010/03/republican-congressmans-house-shot-at.html

Susan Marie Kovalinsky

at 12:06 on March 25th, 2010

I am assuming this above is fabrication and counter balance.

nanute

at 14:31 on March 25th, 2010

Is that a question, or a statement? If you are referring to the quote from Horace Mann, I think it is factual; not a fabrication. Otherwise, disregard my comment.

Karen Hatter

at 19:42 on March 25th, 2010

It may or may not be, Susan but, the latest scuttle-butt running around among the Right, in the personage of Andrew Breitbart, speaking on behalf of the Tea Party crowd at last weekend's protest, is that the Congressmen who reported being called ni**er, with one being spat upon, made it up.

Breitbart even used the usual 'It could have been some Lefties PRETENDING to be Conservatives!' ploy, since there hadn't been an investigation, which is incorect, at least as relates to the spitting incident. Rep. Emanuel Weaver refused to press charges after someone was arrested.

It is an attempt to do the 'See? See? Lefties are attacking us too!' and that's possible.

Karl Rove, the original architect of chaos and slander, is saying Democrats shouldn't talk about attacks that occur.

There's one glaring contradiction in any attempt to spread equal culpability around. So called progressives or the Left Wing haven't been goosing their base, complaining about the evil, socialist, foreign President and his evil minions, in the person of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and others taking America away from Americans, leading the country into tyranny, planning a youth indoctrination corp, this parroted by U.S. Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota, an official representative of the United States government, death panels to kill old folks, chirped by Tweet by the half term Governor of Alaska and former GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who is now displaying crosshair targets on a U.S. map to designate which Democrats to 'reload on' at her PAC web page and all of the other ominous and scary nonsense the Right has done.

The most anger whipped up by the Left has been over the public option missing from the bill and no one has been telling anyone that was disappointed by that outcome to visit anyone or take aim at anyone or any of the other questionable language used by the Right, unofficial AND official, while talking to their followers.

It's called majority rule. The party in power is the Democratic Party. They won the election in 2008. That means, they control the field. The minority party interacts by engaging.

Since it has been stated for months, with hours of talking points on cable and network news, with reams of paper released and websites launched and designed for the sole purpose of obstruction, instructing all associated with the Republican Party and those within the GOP itself that the plan was to obstruct and sabotage, the GOP is now where it is.

nanute

at 00:35 on March 26th, 2010

And now we've got the head lunatic trying to cover his tracks with his latest "monologue" telling everyone that it's all a set up by the left. Somehow in the mind of Glenn Beck and the rest of the right wing lunatic fringe, it is the victims that are inciting the violence. See here:Beck clarifies his theory: If violence breaks out from the right, it will have been intentionally provoked by Obama

Karen Hatter

at 04:58 on March 26th, 2010

Yeah, I know, I heard him, Nanute, all the while making warning noises that 'they' want to silence him and the rest of the Right Wing.

At this point, I think he and the others have now reached the point where it is no longer necessary to pretend they are the FAR or extreme Right or lunatic fringe since it seems ALL of the Right tend to embrace Glenn Beck and the rest of that element's behavior AND the rationale offered by what previously could be called the extreme, as evidenced by official GOP party leaders as well as other conservatives all giving qualifying statements of support by way of understanding the frustration and pain AS they say the threats and acts of violence are wrong.

With freedom of speech comes responsibilty, which is not a concern of those constantly playing to these elements with many listening to them, judging by some of the hateful messages delivered and deeds being perpetrated, not very far from being totally unhinged, a very dangerous condition for making correct decisions.