An emotional Sen. Harry Reid opened up about being on the receiving end of “ugly” and “vile” threats in the aftermath of Cliven Bundy’s standoff with federal authorities.
It’s unclear if the incidents are related. In Tuesday’s weekly news conference, the Senate majority leader took a long pause before answering the question of whether he believed the multiple threats against him were related to the Nevada rancher.
“Each day that goes by, it’s hard for me to comprehend how ugly, vile, vulgar and threatening people are sending letters to my home and making other threats,” Reid told reporters. “I don’t know who’s mad at me, but it’s a long list, I guess.”
Reid also noted that most of these “horrible” letters to him and family members cite Bible scripture.
The U.S. Capitol Police confirmed an ongoing investigation is underway, but refused to comment on further details.
Reid said he has spoken to the attorney general, the FBI director and the Sec. of the Interior. In the past few weeks, the Democrat has been an outspoken critic of Bundy — and even called him a “domestic terrorist” — for refusing to pay more than 20 years-worth of taxes and grazing fees for his cattle on government-owned land. The federal Bureau of Land Management claims the rancher now owes them more than $1 million as a result.
Reid said, “We cannot have someone that openly violates the law, who believes that the United States is not a valid government, that it’s a foreign government and all the other weird things that [Bundy] has said.”
Sarah Muller