Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, launched a sharp critique against his Republican colleagues in Congress for their overwhelming silence in the face of former President Donald Trump's repeated and violent attacks against a group of Democratic lawmakers.
Incendiary Statements and Republican Crickets
During a Sunday interview on CBS News's "Face the Nation," Kelly expressed his alarm. "We've heard very little, basically crickets, from Republicans in the United States Congress about what the president has said about hanging members of Congress," Kelly stated. His comments directly address a series of inflammatory posts published by Trump targeting six Democratic politicians.
The situation escalated last week when Trump amplified a post that explicitly stated, "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!" This was followed by another post on Thursday where Trump accused the Democrats of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" Doubling down on Saturday, the former president labelled the lawmakers "TRAITORS" who "SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW."
Real-World Consequences and Security Threats
These posts were Trump's response to a video created by a group of Democratic veterans and former intelligence officers, which reminded service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. The fallout from Trump's rhetoric has been immediate and severe for the lawmakers involved.
Both Kelly and Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan who also appeared in the video, have reported a significant surge in threats directed at them. "Because of what he says, there is now an increased threats against us," Kelly revealed during his Sunday appearance. The threat level for Senator Slotkin became dangerously tangible. Her office confirmed that she has required around-the-clock security detail since Trump's posts and that her home was targeted by a bomb threat this past Friday. Fortunately, Slotkin was not home, and police determined there was no danger.
A Divided Political Response
While Democratic lawmakers have universally condemned Trump's statements and called for him to recant, the reaction from Republicans has been far more muted. The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended Trump on Thursday, claiming he was not calling for executions and instead pivoted to criticizing the Democrats' video.
Key Republican leaders offered tepid responses. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, dismissed the violent language as "heated rhetoric" that he would not have used. Similarly, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, stated he disagreed with Trump's conclusion but stopped short of demanding an apology. Only a handful of Republicans, including Sens. Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham, and Thom Tillis, have offered more pointed critiques.
Kelly highlighted this stark contrast, questioning why Republicans were quick to condemn rhetoric after the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk but are now largely silent. "Where are they now?," he pointedly asked, underscoring the perceived double standard in addressing political violence.
