Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Karen Gibson told CNN in an interview broadcast Sunday there’s been an increase in threats against lawmakers in the past year, and “political rhetoric is a key driver” of anger toward elected officials.
Driving the news: CNN’s Pamela Brown asked Gibson if the threats stem from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that led to her predecessor Michael Stenger resigning. Gibson replied: “I would not say since the insurrection, but certainly in 2020 it began to go up considerably and it has remained heightened for a number of members.”
- Gibson noted that political rhetoric is leading to “continued threats unfortunately against a number of elected officials,” without naming anyone.
- Expressing frustration toward elected officials is a right “enshrined in our Constitution and part of what I’ve sworn to uphold and defend, she said, but “a group of Americans … have fallen for some conspiracy theories and just some whacked-out ideas that are not based in fact.”
“I say tongue-in-cheek now that we have a vaccine for COVID I think we need to work on one for disinformation. But I am concerned about people who just cannot separate fact from fiction.”
Go deeper… Senate sergeant-at-arms: Cyber attack against Congress “keeps me up at night”
