Rep. Adam Schiff said Wednesday that members of Congress are seeing “a real escalation” in death threats as a result of the “deterioration in the political climate.”
“I could certainly get the sense that many members are seeing a real escalation in the number of death threats,” Schiff, D-Calif., said on MSNBC. “I think all of us have gotten those kind of threats from time to time, but they do seem to have escalated given the deterioration in the political climate over the last couple years.”
Schiff’s comments came following Wednesday morning’s shooting at the Republicans’ congressional baseball practice. At least four people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., were shot. Democrats and Republicans held a moment of solidarity in the House chamber, where Speaker Paul Ryan delcared that “an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.”
Before the House session, members of Congress were called into a briefing to discuss their safety and how to best protect themselves at public events.
“So there’s a real concern over member safety, there’s a real concern over the degree to which our politics has become so debased that this kind of thing is happening with what at least feels like increasing frequency,” Schiff said.
