Last week, Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida attended a film festival in Utah, where he was allegedly attacked by an assailant who punched him, said the congressman would be deported and was then heard shouting racist remarks while running away. A suspect was soon after arrested and charged with aggravated burglary, assaulting an elected official and assault.
Four days later, another member of Congress — who, like Frost is both Black and a House Democrat — was accosted. MS NOW reported:
The Minneapolis Police Department announced it had arrested and identified a suspect after Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was interrupted by a man who approached her at a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
While Omar was speaking, a man approached the congresswoman, was quickly tackled to the ground, and Omar continued speaking after the interruption.
“I’m ok,” Omar wrote on social media after the incident. “I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
Soon after, the Minneapolis Police Department announced that it had arrested a suspect, 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak.
The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the incident was “unacceptable” and would be met with “swift justice.” The agency, which is responsible for investigating threats against lawmakers, added, “We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society.”
Around the same time, ABC News asked Donald Trump for his reaction to Omar having been accosted. It would’ve been incredibly easy for the president to simply say, “No elected official should ever face violence, assaults or threats. I have no tolerance for incidents like these.”
But Trump is who he appears to be.
“I think she’s a fraud,” the president said, overlooking his own troubled past with fraud allegations. He added, “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Asked if he had seen the video of the incident, the president, who has obsessed over Omar for far too long, said that he had not, adding, “I hope I don’t have to bother.”
I’m trying to imagine what the reaction would be if two Republican members of Congress were assaulted over the course of five days, and a Democratic president made no effort to denounce the incidents and instead responded with ugly and conspiratorial nonsense.
I have a hunch the backlash would be rather severe.
As for the broader security concerns, The New York Times noted that House speakers can approve additional protection for members in cases of elevated risk. “During President Trump’s first term, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi provided Omar with 24-hour Capitol Police protection after she was repeatedly targeted at rallies,” the report said. “Omar has since said that Speaker Mike Johnson has not offered her similar protection, even as threats against her have increased.”








