Durbin Condemns Political Violence As Poll Workers, Government Officials Face Increased Threats Ahead Of The 2024 Presidential Election
Statement
"Just over three years after then-President Trump called his supporters to Washington, D.C., and directed them to this Senate Chamber and Capitol building, where they staged a violent insurrection, his calls for retribution against his perceived enemies continue on an almost daily basis. Recent victims have included the Secretary of State in the state of Maine, the former Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, and employees of the Georgia Secretary of State's office, all of whom were the targets of swatting and violent threats. These individuals were targeted for their roles in upholding the lawful result of the 2020 presidential election, or for their involvement in the upcoming election. Many election workers at lower levels have also been threatened, especially women and people of color.
The justices of the state supreme courts of Colorado and Wisconsin, along with staff, jurors, and prosecutors, have also faced threats due to their involvement in the former President's legal cases. All of these individuals have been targeted simply because they continue to fulfill their duties to uphold the law. All the while, former President Trump has refused to condemn the actions of his supporters and, at times, he clearly encourages them. And yet, we rarely hear any of our Republican colleagues criticize their de facto leader for his public threats of violence or his encouragement of his most extreme supporters
In the United States, these kinds of political activities are not merely tolerated--they are encouraged, and they are protected by the Constitution and the force of law. But we cannot as a nation tolerate--let alone encourage--threats of political violence by anyone, including the former President of the United States.
Today, I'm calling on my colleagues in both political parties to publicly condemn the state of violence which is dominating in this country. We have come to accept it as commonplace If this true democracy is to succeed, we all have to speak out against violence on both sides of the equation. We must stand together in opposing violence and threats of violence. Our democracy is strong, but it is only as strong as the people who participate in it, protect it, and who serve it."
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