Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) rebuked on Wednesday individuals sending death threats to GOP colleagues not backing his bid to become House Speaker.
“No American should accost another for their beliefs,” Jordan wrote on X. “We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we come together. Stop. It’s abhorrent.”
Jordan’s statement came after multiple members reported receiving threats.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa)—who initially supported Jordan’s bid but switched in the second round to back Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas)—said on Wednesday that she has “received credible death threats and a barrage of threatening calls.”
“One thing I cannot stomach, or support is a bully,” Miller-Meeks said in a statement. “Someone who threatens another with bodily harm or tries to suppress differing opinions undermines opportunity for unity and regard for freedom of speech.”
Miller-Meeks is not the only Jordan holdout to be targeted by his supporters.
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) shared an email he received on Wednesday telling him to “go f*** yourself and die.”
“If I see your face, I will whip all the hair out of your f***ing head you f***ing scumbag,” the threat added.
LaLota hit back on X that he “will not succumb to threats,” but instead will support a Speaker candidate who will fund the World Trade Center Health Program, The National Flood Insurance Program, ‘SALT’ relief, and more.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), who said he won’t support Jordan for speaker because of the process by which he was nominated, confirmed Wednesday that his wife received threatening calls and text messages.
“Some folks are so mad they don’t mind what boundaries they cross, but it’s not right,” Bacon told CNN. “We can like each other and still disagree.”
A staffer for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) wrote Wednesday afternoon that his office has “had multiple callers mistakenly call [Beyers]’s office in the last few minutes trying to yell at [Bacon] for his vote in the Speaker’s election, sending our best wishes to the folks in his office at this time.”
The threats come more than two weeks since Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) led a successful ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Since McCarthy’s removal, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) has served as the temporary speaker while his colleagues work to pick a full-fledged successor. However, no speaker candidate has yet gained the 217 votes needed.
With 221 Republican members, a successful candidate could have a maximum of only four detractors.
Jordan faces a possible third round of voting Thursday afternoon, though some lawmakers have warned that the number of Republicans voting against him would only grow.
