Several lawmakers' offices have been vandalized from the anger of the historical HCR. Now VA Rep. is targeted.
Thinkprogress:
On Monday, Lynchburg Tea Party member Mike Troxel posted what he believed to be the home address of Rep. Tom Periello (D-VA), encouraging people to drop by for a “good face-to-face chat”:
Just in case any of his friends and neighbors want to drop by and say hi and express their thanks regarding his vote for healthcare. I personally believe it’s so important for representatives to remain fully grounded and to remember exactly what it is their constituents are saying and how they are telling them to vote. Nothing quite does that like a good face-to-face chat. It has a much more personal touch to it.
As Politico explained, the address Troxel posted was actually the address of Periello’s brother, who lives with his wife and four children under the age of eight. “If they [Periello's staff] would like to provide me with the address of Tom, then I’d be more than happy to take it down,” he said. “I have no reason to believe it’s not his house.”
However, yesterday, after receiving evidence from a commenter that the address did indeed belong to Periello’s brother, Troxel erased it, even though he didn’t yet have the congressman’s address. (The site is currently down because the “bandwidth limit” has been exceeded.)
The FBI is now investigating an “incident” that occurred at the home of Periello’s brother. “This is very preliminary at this point, so we’re not making any comment at this time,” a local FBI spokesman told Politico.
ThinkProgress contacted the offices of several GOP Republican and conservative officials, as well as state Sen. Robert Hurt, who is running against Periello. None of them responded to our requests for comment.
Update More information on the incident at Periello's brother's house:
Federal and local authorities are investigating a severed gas line at the home of U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello’s brother, discovered the day after Tea Party activists posted the address online so opponents could “drop by” and “express their thanks” for Perriello’s vote in favor of health care reform.
The gas line to the home’s propane tank was slashed, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Coleman responded that he is "shocked" at the news, saying, "I obviously condemn these actions." However, he "added that he is not certain that the incident is related to the posting of the home’s address."
Update At least 10 members of Congress have requested extra security due to recent threats, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
Update Statement from Periello:
My number one priority right now is ensuring the safety of my brother’s family, and I am grateful to law enforcement for their excellent work. While it is too early to say anything definitive regarding political motivations behind this act, it’s never too early for political leaders to condemn threats of violence, particularly as threats to other Members of Congress and their children escalate. And so I ask every member of House and Senate leadership to state unequivocally tonight that it is never OK to harm or threaten elected officials and their families with anything more than political retribution. Here in America, we settle our political differences at the ballot box.
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