As the political climate heats up and surges in intensity, more people are turning to extreme measures to make their points. However, all actions have consequences and extremities rarely end well.
On Friday, 55-year-old Patrick Carlineo Jr. was apprehended by law enforcement officials after he called Rep. Ilhan Omar’s office and threatened to “put a bullet” in her head, reports The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Reviewing the Details of What Happened
On March 21, 2019, Carlineo phoned Omar’s office and demanded to know why a staffer was working for the congresswoman. Following this demand, Carlineo professed that he would murder Omar.
“Do you work for the Muslim Brotherhood? Why are you working for her; she’s a (expletive) terrorist. I’ll put a bullet in her (expletive) skull.”
Of course, immediately after Carlineo’s statements, the staffer whom he spoke to immediately called the Capitol Police. This subsequently led to the FBI’s involvement and the arrest of the 55-year-old.
If Carlineo is, in fact, found guilty of threatening to execute Omar, he will be struck with a maximum penalty of $250,000, one decade of incarceration, or both.
In this year alone, Omar has made headlines for her longtime pattern of spewing anti-Semitic remarks and flagrantly asserting that Israel is buying off American politicians.
Drawing the Line
At some point, there has to be a line in politics. Americans are absolutely well within their right to exercise freedom of speech; however, freedom of speech does not absolve one from the consequences of their speech. Issuing death threats is never acceptable, regardless of whether those threats are aimed towards a Republican or a Democrat.
At the end of the day, debates, discussions, and other forms of open dialogue are what brings about change. Death threats ultimately achieve nothing and only worsen an already considerably hostile political climate.
What do you think about death threats being issued against various politicians? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below!
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