DOJ Sees ‘Unprecedented Rise’ in Threats To Public Officials

The Justice Department is seeing an “unprecedented rise” in threats to public officials, says Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “On a weekly basis — sometimes more often — I am getting reports about threats to public officials, threats to our prosecutors, threats to law enforcement agents who work in the Justice Department, threats to judges,” Monaco said on ABC’s “This Week,” Politico reports. jLast week, she said, "we’ve had cases involving threats to kill FBI agents, a Supreme Court justice and three presidential candidates." She didn’t identify these targets by name. Former President Trump’s rhetoric isn’t helping, she said. “When people [are] using words like ‘poisoning the blood’ and calling DOJ officials ‘thugs,’ is that helpful?” Monaco was asked, an allusion to remarks Trump has repeatedly made on the campaign trail. “Of course it’s not helpful,” she replied.

The source of the threats has changed since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001. Then, the U.S. security apparatus was concentrated on plots from foreign terrorist organizations. Now, officials worry most about individuals or small groups who have been radicalized online by domestic issues or foreign organizations. Threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab Americans are on the rise in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack. “Since Oct. 7, the FBI has received more than 1,800 reports of threats or other types of tips or leads that are somehow related to or have a nexus to the current conflict in Israel and Gaza,” Monaco said, though many of them are resolved without incident. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he has “never been more concerned about a terrorist attack” on the U.S. than he is now, particularly as the U.S. continues to support Israel’s siege of Gaza. “We’re helping Israel deal with the destruction of Hamas, defending themselves after Oct. 7. Jihadist groups all over the world are calling on their members to attack America as payback for us helping Israel. So the threat levels are at an all-time high,” Graham said on ABC’s “This Week.”