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‘I’m not going to be bullied out of here’ — members of Congress react to death threats

Political Theater, Episode 236

From left, Reps. Frederica Wilson, Jackie Speier, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attend a ceremony in the Capitol on Nov. 15, 2017, to name the House Democratic Cloakroom in honor of Giffords and the late Rep. Leo Ryan, who were victims of gun violence. Speier was wounded in the 1978 Jonestown massacre that claimed the life of Ryan, her boss, and Giffords was wounded in a 2011 Tucson, Ariz., shooting.
From left, Reps. Frederica Wilson, Jackie Speier, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attend a ceremony in the Capitol on Nov. 15, 2017, to name the House Democratic Cloakroom in honor of Giffords and the late Rep. Leo Ryan, who were victims of gun violence. Speier was wounded in the 1978 Jonestown massacre that claimed the life of Ryan, her boss, and Giffords was wounded in a 2011 Tucson, Ariz., shooting. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

There has always been a risk to being a public figure, particularly a member of Congress. Beyond the violence of events like the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, members and their staff face threats all the time.

CQ Roll Call’s Jim Saksa reached out to every member of Congress to ask if they had received a death threat. The results were pretty shocking.

Show Notes:

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