US Congressman receives bomb threats following Trump ‘seditious behavior’ posts News
Nate Payne (Deluzio's Congressional Office), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
US Congressman receives bomb threats following Trump ‘seditious behavior’ posts

Democratic US Congressman Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania received bomb threats at two of his offices Friday after Donald Trump accused him and five other congresspeople of seditious behavior over a video encouraging US military members to refuse illegal orders. A post from Deluzio’s spokesperson reported that the congressman and his staff are safe. Local outlet WTAE reported that at least one of Deluzio’s offices has been deemed clear of threats.

Trump lashed out Thursday after Deluzio—along with Representatives Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow, along with US Senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly—appeared in a video claiming the White House “is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens” and encouraging members to “refuse illegal orders.” The president labeled the video “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH” and shared another user’s post calling for the congresspeople to be hanged.

Deluzio and his colleagues roundly condemned Trump’s comments, with the congressman saying Trump:

didn’t want to hear a basic lesson that we know about our Constitution, about the oath that we all take when we serve, whether in Congress or your first day out of boot camp…that you follow lawful orders, that the oath to the constitution, the loyalty to the constitution comes above all.”

Senator Kelly echoed Deluzio’s comments:

My wife [Gabby Giffords] nearly lost her life in an act of political violence. Words have consequences, especially when they come from the President of the United States. What Trump said this morning — that my colleagues and I should be put to death — is dangerous. We can disagree fiercely and say what we think without resorting to stoking violence. Unfortunately, we’ve seen that at every turn, Donald Trump looks for opportunities to divide us.

Trump denied that his comments were death threats, telling a Conservative radio show, “[I]n the old days, if you said a thing like that, that was punishable by death.” “I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble,” the president continued.

The lawmakers’ video follows Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to various cities in the US, including Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with federal judges declaring some of the deployments illegal. It also follows deadly US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which a former ICC prosecutor labeled crimes against humanity.