Capitol Police Investigating Garrett Death Threats
Virginia congressman says he, his wife and daughters were threatened
Capitol Police are investigating death threats Virginia Republican Rep. Tom Garrett has received over the last two weeks because of his “yes” vote on the GOP health care bill.
Garrett, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said increased law enforcement at his town hall in Moneta was because of “credible and real” threats, the Roanoke Times reported.
“Dissent is American. Praise God. We need that,” Garrett told reporters. “That’s what made us who we are. But when it’s ‘I’m going to kill you this way. Then I’m going to kill your wife. This is what I’m going to do to your daughters,’ I’m not going to not share it.”
Capitol Police are working with Facebook to find a fake account that sent the most recent death threat, Garrett spokesman Andrew Griffin said. The person making the threat masked his account to make it appear like it came from the Netherlands.
Griffin said an earlier threat was called in to Garrett’s Washington office, threatening to kill Garrett if the caller lost his health care. Capitol Police visited the man in Garrett’s district who made the call and he is being monitored, Griffin said.
During his town hall in Moneta, a woman was escorted out of the room but Garrett downplayed the disruption.
“That lady wasn’t a threat,” he said.