“Nancy,” the man called in a creepy sing-song voice. “Oh, Nancy. We’re looking for you, Nancy?” He was one of the thousands of rioters storming the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, hunting down our senators and representatives. That day let loose a torrent of chilling threats.
Steven Martis, 77, left two threatening voicemails for House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) on January 17, 2021, The Business Insider reported:
‘In his first voicemail. “I’m coming to kill you …” Martis followed up with a second voicemail, in which he advised, “You’re dead . . . .”‘
Acting U.S. Attorney Glenn McCormick released a statement that read that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had “approached him and warned him about making similar calls in the past:”
‘This case is an important reminder that, although the First Amendment protects our right to free speech, which is one of our most precious individual rights, the United States Attorney’s Office takes threats to kill or harm another individual through a phone call or other form of interstate communication very seriously.’
Diane Olsen retweeted about the sentencing process:
‘Steven Martis will be sentenced on 1/25/22. The 77-year-old Arizonian was convicted after he left threatening voicemails for Nancy Pelosi. He left both voicemails on 1/17/21 after the FBI had warned him about making similar calls in the past.’
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) statement indicated that Martis was found guilty of one charge of “communicating an interstate threat to kill or harm.” Martis’ sentence was set for January 25, 2022.
Pelosi tweeted this video after she was threatened:
‘The Constitution charges us to be accountable to the people – and we must act in a spirit in which all Americans can be proud.
Disgusting threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President violate this standard, insult this institution and demand a response.’
The Constitution charges us to be accountable to the people – and we must act in a spirit in which all Americans can be proud.
Disgusting threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President violate this standard, insult this institution and demand a response. pic.twitter.com/bXxITYTe6U
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) November 18, 2021
There have always been risks to being an elected official. In 2017, GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) was nearly killed when he was shot by a gunman during practice for the Congressional Baseball Game. In 2011, a man shot Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) during a local event.
Capitol Police received and investigated, according to The Los Angeles Times.
- In 2016 over 900 threats
- In 2018 5,200 threats
- By 2020 it was 8,600-plus threats
Last summer Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) received a video of an anonymous individual following her as she drove. Then, the camera scanned downward to show a 9-millimeter handgun on the passenger seat. The unidentified terrorist said:
‘I see you. I got something for you.’
Earlier last summer, a man was arrested for his “terroristic threats” against Representative Tom Reed (R-NY). Then, he left a dead rat with a noose around its neck on his doorstep.
In January Trump supporters surrounded and threatened Representative Lou Correa (D-CA) at a Washington airport, according to this individual’s tweet:
‘this is 2 minutes of absolute insanity Dem. Rep. Lou Correa (CA46) getting verbally assaulted *in an airport* last week by screaming pro-Trump supporters saying “Your lie has been exposed,” and “You fucking rat.”‘
— j.d. durkin (@jd_durkin) January 12, 2021
Garamendi said Capitol Police officers are good. But they simply do not “have the resources for intelligence gathering and surveillance:”
‘Intelligence, as it applies to us individually, it just isn’t there. The normal way is: We get a threat, and then we inform the Capitol Police or the FBI, “Hey, we got this threat; why don’t you look into it?” And they do, and they do a good job. But the intelligence — anticipating — it’s not there.’
Award-winning investigative journalism Victoria Brownworth tweeted:
‘Nancy Pelosi says of Paul Gosar: “He made threats and suggestions about harming a member of Congress. That is, in itself, not only an endangerment of that member of Congress but an insult to the House of Representatives. We cannot have members joking about murdering each other.'”
Nancy Pelosi says of Paul Gosar: “He made threats and suggestions about harming a member of Congress. That is, in itself, not only an endangerment of that member of Congress but an insult to the House of Representatives. We cannot have members joking about murdering each other.” pic.twitter.com/JBKmOtqTaj
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) November 17, 2021
Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has had a staffer search the internet for threats each time Trump says his name either at a rally or online:
‘My rule is, you have to take them at their word, even if a lot of them may not mean it. The second you don’t take them at their word is the second you could see someone in your family hurt.’
Three White Lions podcast, Gloria Christie reads her week’s most important news/ commentary stories in the liberal online newspaper The Bipartisan Report. Gloria Christie Report her newsletter for people on the go. Written in her own unique style with a twist of humor in a briefer version of Bipartisan Report. Christie’s Mueller Report Adventures In Bite-Sizes a real-life compelling spy mystery. Find her here on Facebook.
