(Reuters) -The assault on U.S. businessman Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in their San Francisco home early on Friday morning comes amid a rising number of reported threats against members of Congress.
According to data provided by the United States Capitol Police, a law enforcement agency charged with protecting members of Congress, cases related to “concerning statements and threats” jumped from 3,939 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021.
Below are some of the threats or acts of violence involving members of Congress since 2000:
Oct. 28, 2022 – Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was hospitalized after authorities say a hammer-wielding man assaulted him during a break-in early in the morning. Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and severe injuries to his right arm and hands, a spokesperson for the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives said in a statement, adding that a full recovery was expected. The statement said Paul Pelosi had been attacked “by an assailant who acted with force, and threatened his life while demanding to see the Speaker.” She was in Washington, D.C. during the attack.
Aug. 29, 2022 – A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to threatening to shoot and kill an unnamed member of Congress, federal prosecutors said. Joshua Hall, 22, of Mechanicsburg, made the threats in August while on pretrial release pending sentencing for impersonating members of then-President Donald Trump’s family to raise funds for a fictitious political organization.
July 22, 2022 – Republican U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin, who is a New York gubernatorial candidate, was giving a campaign speech near Rochester, New York, when a man climbed on stage and tried to stab him. Zeldin was not harmed and the attacker was arrested.
Jan. 6, 2021 – Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and violence followed as they occupied the building, forcing lawmakers to evacuate and delay the certification of now-Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory in the November presidential election. No elected officials were hurt in rioting that continues to be the subject of investigations.
More than 100 police officers were injured in the attack, one died a day after and four others later died by suicide. Four of the people who stormed the Capitol died on the day of the attack.
Jan. 2, 2021 – U.S. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell’s home in Kentucky was vandalized and spray painted with messages, including “where’s my money,” the Louisville Courier Journal reported. The incident followed tense negotiations over the second major pandemic stimulus package, in which McConnell opposed raising direct checks for individuals to $2,000 from $600.
Jan. 1, 2021 – The messages “Cancel rent” and “We want everything” are spray-painted on the Pelosis’ home in San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In addition to the graffiti, a pig’s head was left in front of the garage, according to the newspaper.
The incident occurred after then-President Trump signed a contentious $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package.
June 14, 2017 – U.S. Republican Representative Steve Scalise, then-Majority Whip, was shot in the hip and taken to the hospital after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress at a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, for their annual congressional charity game with Democratic members. A congressional staffer and a lobbyist were also shot, while two Capitol Hill police officers were wounded in the attack. The gunman died in a shootout with police at the field.
Jan. 8, 2011 – U.S. Democratic Representative Gabby Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman who opened fire on a crowd that gathered to meet her outside a grocery store in Tuscon, Arizona. Six people, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl, were killed in the attack, while 13 others were wounded, Giffords and congressional staffers among them. A three-term Arizona Democrat, she resigned from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery.
Oct. 2001 – Anthrax-laced letters are mailed to the Washington, D.C., offices of Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Tom Daschle of South Dakota. A letter sent to Leahy was dated Oct. 9, 2001, while another addressed to Daschle was discovered on Oct. 15, 2001, according to the FBI, which said in a statement that the two mailers appeared to be linked.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York City; Editing by Donna Bryson and Deepa Babington)
