Senate

Flake says he and his family got death threats ‘from the right’

by Jordain Carney - 10/22/18 2:53 PM ET

GOP Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) said on Monday that he and his family received death threats “from the right,” and that he was talking to U.S. attorneys about the court proceedings.

“Fast forward to today, I’ll be on a call … with some U.S. attorneys who are deciding where to arraign somebody who’s been indicted for death threats against me and my family. … That one is from the right, but there are some on the left as well,” Flake said at a political forum being hosted by CNN.

Flake didn’t specify which individual has made threats against him and his family. But The Associated Press reported last week that James Dean Blevins had been indicted in Arizona for threats made against “United States Senator J.F.”

{mosads}And Flake noted last month during a Senate floor speech that he and his family received death threats after saying the Senate shouldn’t proceed with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation until Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, was given the opportunity to testify.

Flake’s comments on Monday came as he was discussing political violence, including the 2011 shooting of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and the 2017 shooting at a practice session for the annual congressional baseball game.

“I just remember thinking at that time, ‘Why us, why? How could somebody look at a bunch of middle-aged men playing baseball and see the enemy?’ It was just a horrible, horrible moment and that’s what sticks with me more than anything,” Flake said on Monday about the 2017 shooting.

He added that politicians have to “tone down the rhetoric.”

“We’ve got to do better. We have to tone down the rhetoric. We have to be in a better place in the future than we are right now,” he said.

Tensions around the Capitol spiked during Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Senators, in both parties, acknowledged that they had received vulgar or threatening messages and several members used a Capitol Police escort to get to votes or hearings.

Tags Brett Kavanaugh Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process death threats Jeff Flake