WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans say they too have been the victims of attempted violence and vandalism that have menaced House Democrats since passage of landmark health care legislation.
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia said at a news conference that someone shot a bullet through a window of his campaign office in Richmond and said he has received threatening e-mail.
Cantor attributed the actions to his being in the House GOP leadership and being Jewish.
The office of Republican Jean Schmidt of Ohio also released a profanity-laced phone message in which the caller accused the GOP of being racist and, referring to an accident two years ago when Schmidt was hit by a car while jogging, said "you should have broke your back, b... ."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The leader of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday condemned vandalism and threats against members of Congress who voted for sweeping health care changes, and House Republicans who fought the legislation joined in urging Americans to calm down.
"I don't want this to be a distraction" to the work of Congress, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. But she also asserted that such violence and threats of reprisal have "no place in a civil debate in our country" and must be rejected.
At least four Democratic offices in the states of New York, Arizona and Kansas were struck and at least 10 members of Congress have reported some sort of threats, including obscenity-laced phone messages, congressional leaders have said. No arrests have been reported.
Rep. John Boccieri, one of eight Democrats who switched to "yes" on the most recent House vote, said he had received threats. "Having flown missions in and out of Afghanistan, I know what it's like to be in harm's way. But I never imagined serving in Congress could feel the same," said Boccieri, a major in the Air Force reserve. He did not elaborate on the threats.
Pelosi spoke to reporters at the Capitol shortly after Republican lawmakers took the House floor, pleading with those who vehemently oppose the Democratic health care move to refraim from acts of violence and threats.
Opposition to the health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday is "no excuse for bigotry, threats or acts of vandalism," said Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, the House's third-ranked Republican.
Said Republican Rep. Joseph Pitts: "Some of our colleagues have received threatening phone calls. A brick has been thrown, a window has been smashed. This is not the right way to respond."
Rep. Louise Slaughter, a Democrat and chairwoman of an influential House committee, said someone had left her a voice mail that used the word "snipers."
Some of the anger spilled over in a flood of threat-filled phone and fax messages to the office of Rep. Bart Stupak, a Democrat. Stupak vowed to oppose the health care package unless given greater assurance that it would not allow federal funding of elective abortions. He voted in favor after the administration agreed.
Stupak's office released some of the messages, declining further comment.
"I hope you bleed ... (get) cancer and die," one male caller told the congressman between curses.
A fax with the title "Defecating on Stupak" carried a picture of a gallows with "Bart (SS) Stupak" on it and a noose attached. It was captioned, "All Baby Killers come to unseemly ends Either by the hand of man or by the hand of God."
The chief security officer for the House, Terry Gainer, told The Associated Press Thursday that there was "no evidence that annoying, harassing or threatening telephone calls or emails are coordinated. Regrettably though, bloggers and twitters seem to feed off each other, leaving little room for creativity."
At the news conference, Pelosi noted that "our country has had a lively debate." But she also said that it is "important for us to be able to express ourselves freely, not to diminish that in any way, but also to hit a standard that says some of the actions ... must be rejected."
The Democrat said she did not mean her criticism to "paint everyone with what has happened here with the same brush." And she said she did not "subscribe to the theory that these acts sprang from the comments of my colleagues."
"I think we have to manage this issue very carefully, recognizing we are a democracy," Pelosi said. "We do not want to stifle debate, or free expression of it."
The FBI is working with lawmakers subjected to menacing obscenity-laced phone messages. In some instances, bricks were hurled through congressional offices.
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Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi., David N. Goodman in Detroit, Dena Potter and Bob Lewis in Richmond, Virginia., Ben Dobbin in Rochester, New York, Mark Carlson in Phoenix and Laurie Kellman in Washington contributed to this report.
