With former U.S. President Donald Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol being increasingly highlighted by a series of hearings at the House of Representatives, Republicans who are not supportive of Mr. Trump have faced threats to their lives and their families. The latest example was a Twitter ad released on Monday by GOP Senate hopeful Eric Greitens, a former Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Navy SEAL, asking supporters to order “hunting permits” (stickers) for use on moderate Republicans.
“We are sick and tired of the Republicans in Name Only [RINO] surrendering to Joe Biden & the radical Left. Order your RINO Hunting Permit today!” the ad says, with a video showing men in fatigues [depicting SEALS] blasting open the door of a house with automatic weapons, following which Mr. Geitner enters the house with a gun and asks people to join the MAGA crew (MAGA stands for ‘ Make America Great Again’ and is Mr. Trump’s former campaign line and slogan).
The stickers, which can be bought for a price, say, “Expires: When we save America.”
Mr. Greitens, who faces a Republican primary election in early August (which will determine the party’s candidate for the November midterm election), had resigned from the post of Governor of Missouri in 2018, amid allegations of sexual assault and campaign finance violations. Prior to joining the GOP, Mr. Greitens used to be a Democrat.
His ad, which received immediate criticism after it was posted, comes weeks after an 18 year-old murdered 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“The modern Republican Party is a party of extremists and political violence, plain and simple. This is proof,” said a tweet from the Lincoln Project, a political action committee that was created to prevent Mr. Trump’s re-election.
Another reaction blamed House and Senate Minority (Republican) leaders for the problem.
“Let’s place the blame for this violent ad where it belongs, at the doorsteps of Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell. They’ve failed to confront & condemn the MAGA radicals of their party. Now it’s out of control & threatens everyone’s freedom,“ Eric Swalwell, a Democrat and Representative from California tweeted.
Over the weekend, January 6 House panel member, GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger, said he had received a death threat, mailed to his house, targeting him, his wife and five month old baby.
“There’s violence in the future, I’m going to tell you. And until we get a grip on telling people the truth, we can’t expect any differently,” Mr. Kingzinger said in an interview with ABC News.
