Lawmakers Seek Protection After Swattings, Bomb Threats

Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are calling for lawmakers to receive additional protection after a spate of bomb threats and swatting incidents, the Washington Times reported Wednesday.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger testified Dec. 11 in a Senate hearing that more than 50 members of Congress have been subjected to swatting attacks since the general election in November, noting the threats caused 700 investigations and placed a large strain on the police force.

"Just in the last month, we've had over 50 members of Congress swatted, so we've got to look at what we can do to enhance people's security not only when they're here on campus but when they're off-campus and in their home districts," Manger said.

Rep. Jared Golden, R-Maine, received a bomb threat on his home on Thanksgiving signed "MAGA," and Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., was subject to a swatting incident that caused a fatal car accident.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have condemned the various incidents against lawmakers, with Jeffries calling for them to receive "maximum protection."

Golden told the Times that "both sides could stop" using fiery rhetoric, such as Republicans saying Democrats are "dangerous socialists" or Democrats saying President-elect Donald Trump will "lead to the end of democracy as we know it."

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