U.S. Capitol Police investigated 7,501 threats against members of Congress last year, according to new figures released Tuesday.
\nLast year’s numbers marked the first decline in at least five years but remained “historically high,” nearly double the 3,939 cases investigated in 2017, Capitol Police said. In 2021, when the Jan. 6 riot took place,\u00a0threat cases jumped to 9,625.
\n\u201cThe threats against Members of Congress are still too high,\u201d U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement. \u201cThis has resulted in a necessary expansion of, not only our investigative capabilities, but our protection responsibilities as well.\u201d
\nThe tallies include investigations into \u201cconcerning statements and direct threats,\u201d and police said the number of threats against Democrats and Republicans has been similar, noting every member of Congress has been affected.
\nAn\u2002intruder was charged with breaking into the San Francisco home of former House Speaker\u00a0Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in October and assaulting her husband with a hammer. Police said the assailant later said he was looking for Pelosi, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time.
\nWeeks after that attack, a Michigan man was\u00a0arrested and accused\u00a0of threatening to kill Rep. John Garamendi, another California Democrat, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
\nMore recently, a\u00a0Washington man was charged\u00a0with seven counts of making interstate threats after he was accused of leaving more than 400 voicemails for members of Congress over two years.
\nThreats of political violence have also extended to the state and local levels. Solomon Pena, an unsuccessful GOP candidate for the New Mexico state House, was\u00a0arrested Monday\u00a0in connection with\u00a0four shootings\u00a0at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators.<\/p>\n