Politics

Gay conservative threatens to kill Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell

U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.
U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. Photo: Gage Skidmore

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has revealed that he was the target of a death threat and the perpetrator claimed to be a gay conservative.

“A staffer of mine — who’s 1 month into her job — received a call from a man saying he’s coming to our office w/ an assault rifle to kill me,” Swalwell tweeted Tuesday. “I hesitate to share this but how else do I tell you we are in violent times, & the architects are Trump & [House Minority Leader Kevin] McCarthy. Bloodshed is coming.”

The caller ranted about “gay issues” according to a memo filed after the incident and “said he is a gay man, but he doesn’t take it up the ass he gives it.” The man “used the F slur several times” to describe other gay men.

The man “also made a statement saying he will come to the office, or to wherever he is to hurt him. He will bring guns (AR-15s) to kill him and f*ck him up” according to the memo Swalwell shared online.

The report says that the man willingly gave his name and the staffer was able to record him and get his phone number.

In June, Swalwell tweeted that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has incited violence against his family after he received a racist and homophobic death threat which mentioned a conspiracy theory she repeated about him. And it wasn’t the first time that Greene has been accused of inciting violent threats against a Democratic member of Congress.

In a September 2020 Facebook post, she shared an image of herself holding a gun next to a picture of the four Democratic congresswomen of color, who then made up the House’s progressive group known as “the Squad.”

Facebook removed Greene’s post for violating its policy against violent threats after “Squad” member Ilhan Omar of Minnesota tweeted, “Posting a photo with an assault rifle next to the faces of three women of color is not advertising. It’s incitement. There are already death threats in response to this post.”

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