(12 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++BEGINS AND ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington – 12 December 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jay Obernolte, (R) California:
“But we have had threats against my district staff and that’s nothing, that’s something that’s never okay with me. I accept that people are going to be upset with me sometimes, particularly if we’re not politically aligned, but threatening, threatening my staff is something that, that’s a hard red line.”
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, (R) Georgia:
“Yeah, they’re, they’re very real. They’re so real that an innocent woman in my hometown was killed this past weekend when officers were responding to a pipe bomb threat at my house. You know, political violence is unacceptable, and I think we have serious issues with it.
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Smith, (D) Washington:
“Look, I mean, there’s just an increasing level of violence. And I guess the one thing that does frustrate me is Republicans will always speak up when that violence is aimed at Republicans. Okay. You know, and then they don’t say anything about Donald Trump’s rhetoric and they think it’s a joke, apparently, when Nancy Pelosi’s house and her husband is attacked."
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, (R) Florida:
“I think people should understand that lawmakers are people, too. We have families. I have a one year old at home. So ,we’re up here representing the needs and the worlds of our constituents. And so they have to understand that the United States is a very politically diverse ideologically as well.”
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Becca Balint, (D) Vermont:
“We are here because we’re trying to serve our constituents and this kind of swatting or threatening behavior or even, frankly, when we are followed and harassed while we walk around, it makes it very difficult for us to fully represent our communities because it has a chilling effect on all of us. And I think what Americans want is for us to be able to show up at town halls, be able to show up in public. And when these things happen, it’s less likely that people will do these public events because they feel unsafe.”
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
A motorist was killed as police responded to a bomb threat at the Georgia home of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over the weekend.
On Wednesday, a person accused of accosting U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in a Capitol Office building pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.
These are some examples of the political violence and threats of political violence that members of Congress face.
And now they’re speaking out about the threats they encounter.
Responding to the incident outside her home, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says the threats are very real.
“You know, political violence is unacceptable, and I think we have serious issues with it. I’ll also say this. You know, we don’t have enough police officers and every department, whether it’s Capitol Police to D.C. Metro, to New York City, to Atlanta, to even the town I live in, there’s a lack of police officers everywhere. And I really hope that that can change as soon as possible,” Greene said.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, (R) Florida, says that she has hired security on her team.
“I think people should understand that lawmakers are people, too. We have families. I have a one year old at home. So ,we’re up here representing the needs and the worlds of our constituents. And so they have to understand that the United States is a very politically diverse ideologically as well,” Luna said.
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