Now in his twelfth year as a US House of Representatives aide, Mitchell Rivard acknowledges that he is increasingly concerned about the intimidation and threats against his colleagues – much more so than in the past.
Rivard, the chief of staff for Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan, said some calls to his congressional office are sometimes so intimidating and so threatening that he tries to intervene to spare junior staffers from the callers' hostility.
He said he is now advising his staff to forward these calls to his cell phone and forward any threatening messages to him.
“If they raise their voices, use inappropriate language or if they make you feel uncomfortable, please bring them directly to me,” Rivard told CBS News that he has told his colleagues.
Rivard says he and a group of fellow top House officials have been holding meetings on how to deal with the toxic atmosphere of this political moment, which has seen an increase in threats against members of Congress and their offices.
“The atmosphere in Congress wasn't great when Congressman Kildee got here, but it certainly hasn't gotten better,” Rivard said. “When it comes to safety and security, I have to think constantly and often, much more than ever before.”
Provided by Mitchell Rivard
a survey of dozens of top congressional staffers A survey by the nonprofit Congressional Management Foundation shows that large majorities feel “anxiety and/or fear” about the safety of working in their jobs, and worry about threats against members of Congress during events and public appearances.
The survey, which was completed by 138 top congressional staffers, found that a higher percentage of longer-tenured and female staffers tended to acknowledge fears about safety because of their jobs. Among the report's findings: 70% of staffers said they have encountered “directly abusive or threatening messages or communications” in the course of their work. Nearly three in four Senate staffers said they had often experienced fear about the safety of members of Congress.
And 38% of longtime aides — including women and those who have worked in congressional offices for more than 11 years — wonder whether they should leave their jobs now because of security concerns.
The foundation's research shows that Democratic respondents are more likely to report fears than Republicans, even though incidents of harassing and threatening messages were widely reported by staffers from both parties.
“January 6 still loomed large in many people's minds,” said Bradley Fitch, chairman of the Congressional Management Foundation and a former top congressional aide. “The death threats coming into the offices have not decreased,” Fitch said. “This is a disturbing trend. I was working with some interns last week and it was shocking to me how many death threats they received.”
“The front door swung open…”
Last week, a Florida man pleaded guilty to a federal charge of making telephone threats against Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and his children. According to a signed plea agreementMichael Shapiro acknowledged calling Swalwell's office and leaving a message that read, “I'm coming to kill your kids, mother, damn it. I'm going to kill your kids.”
Prosecutors and defense attorneys noted Shapiro's claim that he was angry about Swalwell and was drunk when he left the message, according to the plea deal.
“When the defendant played an audio recording of a threatening message left at the Congressional office, he said, 'I don't know what to tell you, it sounds like a drunk man.'”
The threatening behavior is not limited to phone calls or trolling on social media. In May 2023, Xuan Kha Tran Pham, 50, allegedly wielded a baseball bat and attacked staffers in the Fairfax, Virginia, office of Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly. According to an FBI affidavit, Pham demanded to speak with Connolly, a former congressman from Northern Virginia.
A staffer was training a new intern in administrative tasks, and “[s]Suddenly, the front door swung open and Pham, brandishing a baseball bat, burst through,” the affidavit said. “Using the bat, Pham struck (the victim) on the head, causing her to fall to the ground.”
Pham has not entered a plea in his federal case, which has been pending in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, since mid-May, according to a review of the court's docket. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice does not want to say why the case has stalled.
Not all recent attacks on Congress or its staff have political overtones. Kendrid Hamlin, 27, will serve prison time in Pennsylvania until April 2025 for assaulting Rep. Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat, who was attacked in her Capitol Hill apartment building in February 2023.
Hamlin held and punched Craig in the elevator of Craig's apartment complex and tried to enter Craig's apartment, according to court documents. She escaped after throwing hot coffee at Hamlin and running out of the elevator at the next stop.
Although Hamlin pleaded guilty, Craig's letter to the court during a sentencing hearing underscored the lingering pain and recovery from the attack.
“He grabbed my neck and slammed me into the steel wall,” she wrote. “He punched me in the face.”
Craig also said she has since been the subject of death threats and doxing amid the media coverage of the attack. She wrote that her “mental and emotional recovery” is ongoing.
'Heated political rhetoric' that is 'unprecedented and alarming'
Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger will testify at a Senate hearing this week to call for 2025 funding for the department's security initiatives. He warned during a hearing in the House of Representatives last month of increasing threats against lawmakers.
“Our country is in the midst of a historic increase in threats fueled by the current climate of heated political rhetoric; it is both unprecedented and alarming,” he said during the hearing in the House of Representatives. “Over the past year, we have seen a dangerous increase in acts of violence against members of Congress, their families and staff.”
Three federal prosecutors have been appointed to help the Capitol Police handle cases involving threats. They will be located in Tampa, San Jose, California and Washington, DC. Prosecutors bring and will continue to develop expertise in dealing with threats against federal officials.
Rep. David Valadao, a Cailfornia Republican who recently took over the chairmanship of a House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees Capitol Police funding, told CBS News that he recently met with the Capitol Police Chief and House Sergeant at Arms to talk about the safety of members and their families in their hometown.
“I think most members of Congress have had experiences — in a negative way — when it comes to threats and things like that,” Valadao said.
“Security questions are relevant” for staffers considering whether to continue working in Congress
Fitch said the harassment and intimidation incidents risk increasing turnover among congressional staff.
“Capitol Hill is a shitty job for a lot of people, but the mental pressure and mental wellness issues are clearly unfortunate,” he said. “The security questions are relevant to people as they consider whether to keep their jobs in Congress.”
Staffers organized a support and trauma group that met regularly in the months following the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol. One organizer said the group recently halted its formal meetings but has made progress in responding to the trauma and fear suffered in the wake of the attack.
Another founder said, “It helped us connect with each other by talking about it… to share and compare our experiences.”
Rivard said congressional staffers are feeling more pressure as their workloads increase and worry about heightened threats. He helps run an association of congressional chiefs of staff to share ideas on how to respond to the tensions: “We're trying to bring people together to hopefully make this place work in these pretty partisan times.”
Scott MacFarlane
