Utah Democrats receive threatening voice messages in wake of Charlie Kirk's killing
Just hours after an assailant gunned down conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus Wednesday, voice messages containing a torrent of expletive-laden insults were sent to Democratic members of the Utah state House, blaming them for Kirk's killing, according to audio of two calls obtained by ABC News.
The calls came in just after 10 p.m. on Wednesday night to House Democrats' staff work numbers from an unidentified male caller, who called the Democrats "demons" and "enemies to the American people."
"You should find somewhere else to f---ing live. You murderous terrorist animals, you despicable f---ing subhuman, f---ing violent, disgusting f---ing animals. You murdered that man in front of his f---ing family, you evil f---ing pieces of s---, subhuman f---ing garbage," the man said. "I don't even want to see the f---ing color blue in the state of Utah ever again. I'm gonna burn everything blue in my entire f---ing house."
In a second message, the same caller directly addressed a staff member by name and told them to "leave the f---ing state."
"You murdered that man in front of his f---ing family," the caller said, adding, Democrats nationwide belonged in "hell."
Utah House Democrats have shared with law enforcement the threatening voicemails and emails they've received in the wake of Kirk's assassination, House minority leader Rep. Angela Romero told ABC News.
Romero added that the calls were particularly intimidating at this raw time of heightened political tension and rhetoric.
"It made me feel uneasy, especially being a woman and a woman of color in a super red state -- so it's not like this is my first rodeo, but this really made me feel uncomfortable," Romero said.
She said a separate caller told her, "I was despicable, I shouldn't serve in office, it's my fault that Mr. Kirk was murdered."
Other lawmakers have said they received threats following Kirk's killing. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican who is running for governor in South Carolina, announced Friday her office had been "bombarded" with "threatening phone calls" -- and accused Democrats for the "hateful" messages.
The vitriol levied at uninvolved lawmakers since Wednesday's shooting has had a chilling effect on the American tradition of lawmakers' community engagement — as well as the open debate and political discourse Kirk himself espoused.
Romero said she has canceled her own door-knocking that had been scheduled for this weekend. She had planned on canvassing and "getting people's feedback" as they're poised to go through redistricting. She has recommended that others in her caucus consider doing the same.
"I decided this probably wasn't the best time, and I'd rather people be safe than be put in a compromising position," Romero said.
"I don't maybe agree with [Kirk's] political ideology, but he still had a family that loved him, he still had a partner, he still had children. Just because you don't agree with someone on their policy stances doesn't mean that you silence their voice by murdering them, whether it was Mr. Kirk or whether it was Representative Hortman," Romero said, referring to the Minnesota Democratic lawmaker gunned down on her doorstep with her spouse earlier this year in another act of political violence.
"At the end of the day, we're all human. And it's sad that we've gotten to this place in our country where people can't even have conversations anymore," Romero said.
