Press Release

One caller to Craig’s office said “mother fucker, you should have got fucking attacked”

Just days after Representative Angie Craig was assaulted in her apartment building, lies from the NRCC and Fox News led to a wave of violent threats against Craig.

Both the NRCC and Fox News ignored Craig’s long record of support for law enforcement and opposition to defunding the police to push the lie that Craig is anti-cop. Their lives caused Craig to receive a torrent of vicious, harassing, and violent threats.

“The NRCC and Fox News should be ashamed of themselves for inspiring a torrent of violent and hateful threats against Representative Angie Craig, especially since they did so less than a week after she was the victim of an assault,” said DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin. “For far too long, Republicans and their allies have been using inflammatory and radicalized rhetoric to motivate their supporters while trying to distance themselves from the real-world consequences of that radicalization. Fox News and the NRCC are smart enough to understand that their smear campaign against Angie Craig could lead to violent threats, and it is disgraceful that they chose to smear her anyway.”

Earlier today, Rep. Craig’s office released a sampling of the shocking, violent, and disturbing messages they received in the hours following the NRCC’s and Fox News’ smears. Those messages are included below:

Content warning: these messages contain threats of violence and sexual assault.

– “I’m listening to your story on ‘The Five’ … you know what you need that would really make you feel better. You let that poor black guy out of prison and you let him throat fuck you until you come to your senses. That’s what you need. You need a good throat fucking. What a despicable bitch.” (AUDIO)

– “I’m reading ‘Democratic lawmaker ties to defund the police calls for a crackdown on crime’ because you were assaulted … You’re a hypocrite. You created this shithole country with your ‘oh my god, look, defund the police’ but now because you get beat up you don’t like it anymore?” (AUDIO)

– “Finally this piece of shit gets accosted … Mother fucker you should have got fucking attacked. You deserved it, you piece of shit … And your fucking staff is just as bad. You pieces of shit you deserve what you got. I hope the fuckers get you again you fucking whore … And now go crying to the fucking cops, the ones you tried to fucking destroy, you fucking whore.” (AUDIO)

– “Well Ms. Craig, you now know what it’s like to be attacked. I’m glad this happened to you actually, to be honest. Now maybe you’ll be able to pull your head out of your ass and you’ll realize how a lot of people that live in Minnesota, how they like guns and they believe in the Second Amendment, how maybe you will representative people across the United States, not just Minnesotans, but people across the United States on the Second Amendment and maybe yourself, you, will be able to pack a gun in your purse.” (AUDIO)

– “Yes, Representative, Craig. I was just calling because I wanted to say I am so glad that you were attacked. I really am. I mean, I hate it in one way, but I’ve been saying probably for the last two years, at least year and a half, and until our Congress people and politicians are getting attacked, nothing is going to change. Nothing was going to happen. So it’s about time that y’all started getting attacked because like I said nothing was going to change and now, you know what it feels like … That’s what I’m hoping for, is that a lot more people in Congress and our Senators are starting to get attacked so that we do start seeing some changes.” (AUDIO)

– “Didn’t you support defund the police. I’m so glad you got attacked. Maybe now, you’ll, you’ll care about somebody else. You fucking asshole, fucking hypocrite. Fuck you. Fuck you.” (AUDIO)

– “So I didn’t finish my message, forgive me for being rude, but I’m just so sick of the ignorance and stupidity in this country. But you know what, the next time you get the fucking shit beat out of you, I hope the police don’t come. I hope the police sit in their car and I hope they finish eating their pizza before they answer a call to save your sorry hypocritical ass. I hope they don’t come to your rescue.” (AUDIO)

– “That’s what happens when you defund the police, genius. I hope it happens to you again, because you deserve it. And don’t call the police for help, fucking you.” (AUDIO)