To members of Congress, the wave of bomb threats targeting public figures this week was just another sad chapter in what has become a constant and relentless cycle of political threats and violence.
Why it matters: Lawmakers have weathered years of rising threats, startling security incidents, raucous protests and assassination attempts to the point where many have factored peril into their new normal.
- “We are upset it’s happening but … it’s become all too familiar,” said one House Republican, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss lawmakers’ security candidly.
- A senior House Democrat told Axios: “I think honestly it’s become part of what we all deal with … death threats [and] protests are far more common than many realize.”
Driving the news: On Wednesday, the Trump transition said several of the president-elect’s appointees were hit with bomb and “swatting” threats.
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Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) — Trump’s nominees for labor secretary, U.N. ambassador and EPA administrator — were among the targets.
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On Thursday, all but one member of Connecticut’s fully Democratic, seven-person congressional delegation said they received similar threats.
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And on Friday, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) said they, too, faced bomb threats targeting their homes.