Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is pointing his finger at Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for an increase in violent threats to members of Congress after his office received such a threat on Tuesday. This is the second time in the month of August that Swalwell has publicly announced a threat made to his life.
Swalwell posted a tweet saying that one of his staffer – an intern who has only been on the job for a month – receive a call in his office by a man who threatened Swalwell with death. Apparently the man ranted about gay issues during the call. He told the intern he would bring an AR-15 to Swalwell’s office and “F— him up.”
The staffer, who the congressman said on Twitter has only been in the job for a month, wrote in an email screenshotted by Swalwell that the call came in at 11:30 a.m.
“Asked me about where Congressman Swalwell is currently. Asked if he could talk to him. Went on a rant regarding gay issues. Mentioned he has guns and wants to ‘F— him up,'” the staffer wrote in the message. “He will bring guns (AR-15s) to the office to kill him and f— him up.”
Swalwell said he posted the report of the threat because it is how he can get the message out that “we are in violent times & the architects are Trump & McCarthy. Bloodshed is coming.”
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 30, 2022
Naturally, Swalwell blames Trump and threw in McCarthy for good measure. It’s an election year, after all, and the Democrats are going to lose control of the House in November. I don’t doubt that members of Congress receive threatening phone calls but let’s not pretend that the threats only go to Democrats. However, I’m not the only person thinking this tweet was a little too convenient on Tuesday, the day that Joe Biden was out in Pennsylvania trashing Republicans as violent extremists in a campaign-style event to promote more funding for police and gun control.
I never heard you say it was wrong when it happened to several Republicans, including Kavanaugh. Is it different because it is you? It shouldn't happen to anyone. What is an assault rifle? There is no such thing.
— Annie Mae (@AnnieMa73968559) August 30, 2022
Incredibly irresponsible for you to make the statement that this (if real) was directly tied to Trump or McCarthy.
— Adam Mansfield (@Adam_Mansfield_) August 30, 2022
There is a consistent talking point that is being used by Democrats this year and that is one that labels conservatives as violence-loving extremists. Biden continues to throw fuel on the fire by talking about his feelings of disrespect for “MAGA Republicans”. President Unity is testing out a particularly divisive and vitriolic tone in his speeches this week as he begins getting back out on the campaign trail to crow about some recent legislative successes and motivate Democrats to get out and vote in the midterm elections in November. Trump still lives rent-free in what is left of Biden’s brain and Sleepy Joe can’t make a speech anymore without referencing Trump, MAGA Republicans, and/or the previous administration.
One person Swalwell didn’t blame for his threat is House Minority Whip Steve Scalise. Scalise came thisclose to dying after being gunned down by a Bernie bro on a baseball field in 2017 while Republicans were practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. That deranged animal was specifically targeting Republicans that morning. Swalwell’s dramatic prediction that “bloodshed is coming” has already happened and it’s not new.
Among the many crises during Joe Biden’s nineteen months in the White House is a spike in violent crime across America. Now that November is rapidly approaching and the traditional post-Labor Day push is coming in the political world, suddenly Biden wants to concentrate on crime. He and other Democrats were silent during the Summer of Love while Black Lives Matter protested, mostly peacefully until the protests turned into violent and deadly riots, and destroyed areas of many cities. Kamala Harris even tweeted out a plea for people to contribute to a fund that paid bail for those arrested in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd. Where was all the support for police then? Democrats like Joe Biden were too scared to say a word because they were courting black voters in the 2020 presidential election cycle. Republicans were called racists when they voiced support for police or voiced concern about what was happening in cities around the country.
The truth is that Biden’s speech on Tuesday at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania to roll out his “Safer America Plan” to tackle crime is an election year gimmick. He called for more funding for the police after telling some memories of his childhood. Remember, though, that usually when Joe Biden regales an audience with personal stories, they are quickly debunked. Joe loves to tell a story but most are fictional.
“Too many families (today) haven’t had that peace of mind. They watch the news. They see kids being gunned down in schools and on the streets almost every single night. You turn the news on, that’s what you see,” Biden said.
He added: “They see their neighbors lose their loved ones to drugs like fentanyl. They see hate and anger and violence just walking the streets of America, and they just want to feel safe again. They want to feel a sense of security. And that’s what my crime plan is all about.”
Biden also said he was determined to ban assault weapons and tighten gun laws but was not altogether opposed to guns. As a U.S. senator, he played a leading role in temporarily banning assault-style weapons, including firearms similar to the AR-15 and he wants to put the law back into place.
Biden said his new plan would provide more funding for preventative measures, including afterschool and summer job programs and mental health resources.
“All these steps will prevent crime, not increase,” Biden said. “A safer America requires all of us to uphold the rule of law, not the rule of any one party or any one person.”
Then he got in his slap at Republicans.
“Let me say this to my MAGA Republican friends in Congress. Don’t tell me you support law enforcement. If you won’t condemn what happened on the 6th, don’t tell me … which side are you on?” Biden said. “You can’t be a party of law and order and call the people who attack the police on January 6th. Patriots.”
The trip Tuesday was the first of three he will do this week. He’ll do a primetime address on Thursday to campaign for the midterm elections. He wants to talk about the soul of America. He should begin with checking himself. And he should advise Democrats to tone down the rhetoric, too.
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