You probably remember, despite a relatively small amount of mainstream media coverage and virtually no hand-wringing, that a GOP softball practice was interrupted in June of last year when a politically motivated madman opened fire with the intent to kill, injuring five people. Among them, House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). who was gravely wounded.
Scalise suffered a very serious injury and his recovery has been long, extensive, and painful.
Now, just over a year later, he’s received another threat on his life, this time by voicemail, and police found the threat credible and arrested the man who left the message.
The New Orleans Times Picayune reports that Carlos Bayon, 63, of New York, left the message for the Congressman, and not just him. The original press report stated only that he was “charged with interstate communication of a threat on a Louisiana congressman and one from Washington, both on June 30.” However, the paper was able to confirm through the congressman’s office that he was, in fact, the member from Louisiana who received the threat.
Here is what the voicemail said.
“Hey listen, this message is for you and the people that sent you there. You are taking ours, we are taking yours. Anytime, anywhere. We know where they are. We are not going to feed them sandwiches, we are going to feed them lead. Make no mistake you will pay. Ojo por ojo, diente por diente [Spanish for ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’]. That is our law and we are the majority. Have a good day.”
More, from the Times-Picayune.
The voicemails were first reported to the U.S. Capitol Police. The FBI searched Bayon’s house, and Kennedy said “very concerning” items were found there.
“We are convinced that this defendant’s threats were credible,” Kennedy said. He did not elaborate.
There’s more here.
Another threat at a Republican, and in this case, one who was already the victim of attempted murder by mass shooting. Whether by the principle of “if it bleeds it leads” or the prior established behavior from incidents like the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, you would expect, objectively, for this to be an explosive piece of news.
But so far… nope.