There has been a series of reports of Republicans facing threats as they’ve hesitated at the prospect of supporting Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in his ongoing bid to become Speaker of the House. Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) even said a police officer was now stationed at his daughter’s school, while Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) called threats she had received “credible” and got law enforcement involved.
Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.) connected the problem back to long-running problems in the political approach from Jordan, former President Donald Trump (who’s backing Jordan’s bid for Speaker), and their allies. “The threats against members of Congress and their families is a direct product of the normalization of political violence by the gop media, trump, and trump goons including jim jordan. It is ever more reason men like trump and jordan shouldn’t be within 50 miles of power,” Pascrell posted Thursday.
An easy example of that normalization is the incessant support that Trump has provided to individuals who’ve been criminally charged in connection to the Capitol riots, a great deal of whom were specifically accused of physically attacking police, with many from that group having since either been found guilty or taken a plea deal. Yet, Trump has barely ever made any significant distinction among the various groups of rioters when showering them with his support, having repeatedly spoken favorably about the possibility of issuing pardons if he retakes the presidency.
And elsewhere, Trump recently suggested — as has been widely spotlighted — the execution of Mark Milley, the retired general who until recently was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The former president claimed there was some kind of historical precedent for the move. Following the controversy, there has been no significant drop-off in his support among prominent Republicans in office. Imagine the kind of reaction that would emanate if a Democrat said something like that!
The threats against members of Congress and their families is a direct product of the normalization of political violence by the gop media, trump, and trump goons including jim jordan. It is ever more reason men like trump and jordan shouldn’t be within 50 miles of power. https://t.co/pecrARIego
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@BillPascrell) October 19, 2023
