“Threats against lawmakers and judges have become more frequent occurrences over the past year. On Jan. 5, Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed the “deeply disturbing spike in threats against those who serve the public,” including members of Congress, and said the Department of Justice is working on ways to “double down” on efforts against threats. Last August, Reuters reported political violence was the worst it had been since the 1970s. Earlier this month, six state capitol buildings reported bomb threats and were evacuated or locked down. Election officials have also been seeing an increase in threats since 2020, the New York Times reported, adding the incidents “intensified a climate of intimidation.””
