In February, the FBI visited a man named Kevin Patrick Smith. He had been leaving scary messages for Senator Jon Tester, making Tester’s staff scared to go to work. Even after the FBI told him to stop, Smith continued with the threats, mentioning guns this time. Eventually, Smith left about 60 threatening messages, and when the FBI arrested him, they found guns and ammo in his possession. Smith got sentenced to prison.
But this is just one case among many. Threats and violence against leaders are becoming a big issue, especially with the upcoming 2024 election. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on.
**Threats to leaders have been happening a lot in recent years. Even though it seemed to calm down in 2022, there are still concerns. Some threats targeted certain politicians, like the failed attempt to make Jim Jordan the House speaker. Others were about former President Donald Trump’s legal issues. Threats were also made against Representative Ilhan Omar during conflicts in Israel.
Election officials are not spared either. Some received suspicious letters, and one even contained a dangerous substance. Threats like these are considered hate crimes and are seen as a real danger to democracy.
**CNN looked into over 540 cases of people charged with making threats against public officials. They found that these cases are rare, with only about 80% of the defendants convicted. In 2021, there were over 9,600 threats against Congress members, and about 4,500 aimed at judges, lawyers, and others. However, only 72 of those led to federal charges. It shows how hard it is to prosecute these cases.
**Threats against leaders can make it challenging for them to do their jobs. Even after a Supreme Court decision this summer, which protected certain threatening messages, prosecuting threats is still tough. This decision made it harder to prove that a threat is serious enough for legal action.
Richard Barron, an election official in Georgia, received many threats after the 2020 election. Even though none led to charges, the threats affected him. He eventually resigned because of the stress and fears for his safety.
**Threats have been increasing in recent years, especially during the time of Donald Trump’s presidency. CNN’s analysis shows that the number of threats against politicians almost tripled during Trump’s time. Prosecutions for these threats also increased, but so did the threats themselves.
Surprisingly, threats to President Biden have been fewer than those against Trump and Obama. However, threats have become more politically motivated. More Republicans faced threats during Trump’s presidency, but Democrats saw an increase under Trump too.
**One case in Oklahoma showed a man posting threatening messages on Twitter against governors and senators. The FBI intervened, and the man ended up in prison for a year. Cases like these highlight the challenges of dealing with threats in the age of social media.
**Threats not only cause fear but also disrupt the work of leaders. A threat doesn’t have to lead to violence to be harmful. For instance, after the 2020 election, many election workers wanted to quit their jobs because of threats and false claims about fraud.
**In Arizona, threats against election workers were so bad that two-thirds of the counties lost workers. The attorney general there is now prioritizing prosecuting these threats. One man from Iowa, Mark Rissi, was sentenced to prison for making threats against Arizona election officials. His case shows how threats can harm democracy and tear families apart.
**As we approach the 2024 election, there are concerns about more threats. The Department of Homeland Security expects violence from people radicalized in the US to remain high. Threat assessment cases are overwhelming law enforcement agencies, making it hard for them to keep up.
In conclusion, threats against leaders are a serious problem that can harm democracy. The challenges in prosecuting these threats and the impact on leaders and the public make it crucial to find solutions to ensure a safer political environment.
Tags: threats, democracy, leaders, violence, prosecution, challenges, politics, fear, social media, election, security, public officials, extremism, radicalization, law enforcement
