GOP Rep. Mark Walker Reported Bomb Threat to Capitol Police
Montana man behind the account, which has also levied false allegations against North Carolina rep
Rep. Mark Walker reported to the U.S. Capitol Police a Twitter user who has sent bizarre allegations and threatening messages to his campaign for more than a year, including a bombing reference and asking for information about his daughter’s school.
“After a number of threatening messages, including bombing references, mentions of Walker and his family, and attempts to locate the school his daughter attends, our staff sent the message contents to the Capitol Police,” Jack Minor, Walker’s campaign spokesman, told The News and Observer in Raleigh.
The USCP has investigated the threat, Minor said.
Walker, a North Carolina Republican, is the chairman of the powerful Republican Study Committee.
Authorities identified Andrew Cabaccang, a Raleigh native who currently lives in Montana, as the user behind the Twitter account.
Deputies from Montana’s Sanders County Sheriff’s Office paid a visit to his home as part of an FBI probe into the matter on Sept. 19, Cabaccang told McClatchy.
They searched his home and computer, he later tweeted.
“It’s just petty, petty, petty. I know I didn’t do anything wrong,” Cabaccang said, indicating that Walker could have just blocked or muted him on Twitter instead of going straight to the authorities.
But after the GOP Congressional Baseball practice shooting last year, lawmakers are not taking chances with threats of any kind.
Cabaccang has used the bomb emoji in multiple tweets to Walker’s campaign. He has also levied false allegations against the congressman.
In one tweet he suggested that Walker was cheating on his wife with another man.
Walker finally publicly responded to what he sees as online harassment from Cabaccang in a Facebook post on Sept. 27. He also accused his opponent in the upcoming midterm election in North Carolina’s 6th District of elevating Cabaccang on social media.
“The lies, allegations and foul language being spread by my opponent and his self-proclaimed ‘wingman’ have forced me to engage,” Walker wrote.
The race between Walker and Democrat Ryan Watts is not expected to be competitive.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Solid Republican. President Donald Trump carried the district in 2016 by 15 points.
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