Credit: AFGE
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said he was informed by federal law enforcement recently that his life was in danger due to a threat.
The GOP congressman from Middletown Township said he was informed of the threat recently. The revelation came in the wake of the FBI search warrant execution at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and residence in Florida.
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Fitzpatrick, a former FBI special agent and an attorney, has called for federal authorities to release more information on the investigation that involved classified documents that the FBI took from Trump’s residence last week. The congressman has also said threats aren’t acceptable in the wake of threatening statements by fellow Republicans.
“I, myself, have been notified by the [FBI] that my life was put in danger recently by some of these same people. And it’s – violence is never the answer to anything,” Fitzpatrick said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
Fitzpatrick didn’t comment more on the specific nature of the threat. His office didn’t respond to a request for more information, while spokespeople for the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police, which is tasked with protection of members of Congress, both said they were not going to comment on the matter.
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Members of Congress have seen increased threats in recent years, and even more so since since the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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Fiery statements by Republicans upset that investigators were at the former president’s residence have been aired in the media and on social media.
Over the weekend, the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about an increase in threats against law enforcement, according to NBC News.
“I’m always concerned about threats to law enforcement,” FBI Director Chris Wray, who was appointed by Trump, told reporters last week at an FBI field office in Nebraska. “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with.”
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A 42-year-old man upset about the FBI execution of a search warrant at Trump’s home went armed and attempted to breach the FBI field office in Cincinnati last week. He then led authorities on a chase and engaged with a standoff with law enforcement before being shot dead by authorities.
A Western Pennsylvania man who threatened to kill FBI agents following the search of Trump’s residence was charged, court records revealed Monday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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“Every single elected official, every single leader needs to mind the weight of their words,” Fitzpatrick said during his CBS News interview. “I think everybody needs to be calling for calm, everybody across the board, and everybody needs to respect our law enforcement whether they be local, state, or federal.”
The congressman, who was endorsed by Trump in 2020, did note that “no one is above the law.”
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