'They are nasty': Cops reveal barrage of threats as Congress voted on Cabinet picks

A new report by Mother Jones revealed a rise in violent threats against members of Congress around the same time some lawmakers wavered on whether to confirm controversial Trump cabinet nominees like Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

"The US Capitol Police released the information in response to a public records request by Mother Jones," although they did not specify whether targeted lawmakers were in the House or Senate, or which political party they belonged to, wrote reporter Pema Levy.

"As it turns out, threats of violence against members of Congress rose in January and February, at the same time that Trump and his allies were strong-arming lawmakers over confirmations," Levy wrote. "In January, the US Capitol Police counted 42 threats against members of the House and Senate, followed by 33 in February. During the same months in 2024, the numbers were 16 and 17, respectively."

Levy claimed, "Violent threats were part of the MAGA confirmation playbook confirmation playbook." She cited Politico reporting that, "When weighing Hegseth," Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and her staff "received a barrage of threatening messages. Some people even reached out to her family, according to one person who heard frustration from Ernst — though her office downplayed the badgering.”

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In addition, Levy wrote that “Trump and Hegseth allies on the outside started going after reporters who covered the accusations — many of whom received death threats and had to receive additional security.”

In February, "Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) cited such threats as a reason Republicans confirmed Hegseth," Levy wrote.

She quoted Gillibrand saying, “We got three Republicans to vote with us, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitch McConnell. We needed a fourth, and we were unable to get it because the Trump MAGA machine is powerful. They are aggressive. They are nasty. They issue death threats. They threaten people. They threaten them with retaliation. They have really gotten under the skin of a lot of Republicans who are unfortunately now unwilling to stand up to Trump, which is highly problematic.”

Levy concluded, "Pressing charges is one way to punish the threats to lawmakers and possibly quell them." But the question remains, "will Donald Trump’s Justice Department prosecute the threats that may be powering his agenda? An independent DOJ certainly would...But this one, as it carries out Trump’s political agenda, is another beast altogether."

Read the Mother Jones article here.