Again and again, far-right elected officials have deploy reckless rhetoric about Democrats and their efforts that has been proven to provoke violence. When the violence inevitably occurs, these same officials downplay it or blame Democrats themselves for provoking or even deliberately orchestrating it.
Even in the months after the events of January 6, when a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the United States Capitol in a deadly failed insurrection spurred by the former President's election lies, these lawmakers have repeatedly dismissed the severity of the riots and even suggested it was orchestrated by the FBI and Democrats themselves.
The riots led to expanded security measures at the Capitol which has gradually relaxed in recent months, though members still must walk through metal detectors in order to get to the House floor. Every step of the way, pro-insurrection Republicans have repeatedly decried the basic protective measure, calling it "horse s**t" and, in some cases, defying Capitol Police and bucking the detectors all together.
Now, far-right Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida—who's already under criminal investigation for his potential role in the sex trafficking of a minor—is openly "joking" about blowing the metal detectors up. His colleague in the House, Lauren Boebert of Colorado—who tweeted out updates on the House Speaker's location during the insurrection—is joking right along with him.
Gaetz's initial comments came at a Halloween rally for a GOP congressional candidate.
He said:
"My friend Lauren Boebert from Colorado—they put in metal detectors on the floor of the House—because it's like a five foot nothing woman, she carries a firearm for her personal protection. So they got triggered by that. I said, 'Man, is it, is it 'tannonite' [sic] or C4 we want to put in those metal detectors and we blow 'em up?"
Gaetz shared a Mediaite article covering his comments, doubling down.
If you can\u2019t fantasize about blowing up useless metal detectors with @laurenboebert at a Florida Halloween political rally for @AnthonySabatini, when can you?https://www.mediaite.com/politics/watch-matt-gaetz-jokes-about-blowing-up-capitol-metal-detectors-with-explosives/\u00a0\u2026— Matt Gaetz (@Matt Gaetz) 1635714976
And Boebert volunteered to bring the Tannerite.
I\u2019ll bring the Tannerite!https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1454920179809460224\u00a0\u2026— Lauren Boebert (@Lauren Boebert) 1635715232
She then assured that the explosion wouldn't be carried out inside the Capitol.
To the fools who think this would be done inside the Capitol: get a life!
The metal detectors are useless and we are getting rid of them when Republicans take back the House.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) October 31, 2021
But the pair's comments have gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
What consequences will there be for two congress members discussing blowing up metal detectors at the Capitol?https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1454921254377558016\u00a0\u2026— Frank Figliuzzi (@Frank Figliuzzi) 1635772477
This is what domestic terrorism looks like. @FBIhttps://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1454921254377558016\u00a0\u2026— Mayo (@Mayo) 1635717658
If the same comment was made by @IlhanMN or @RashidaTlaib, you would have called for their arrest.https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1454920179809460224\u00a0\u2026— M Yusuf Mohamed (@M Yusuf Mohamed) 1635771452
They are SO comfortable with violence.\nSo UNcomfortable with democracy.https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1454920179809460224\u00a0\u2026— Billy Ray (@Billy Ray) 1635742897
And while their Democratic colleague Eric Swalwell of California assured the two weren't intellectually capable of blowing something up inside the Capitol...
I\u2019m not worried. These two Einsteins couldn\u2019t wire a MoneyGram, let alone a bomb.https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1454921254377558016\u00a0\u2026— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@Rep. Eric Swalwell) 1635723727
People continued to call for repercussions, especially since comments like these have proven to stoke violence.
Your tweet has been reported to the FBI, Twitter CEO, Office of Congress Ethics & Speaker Nancy Pelosi.\nYou should be arrested by the House Sergeant at Arms & taken into custody.https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1454920179809460224\u00a0\u2026— Charles Campisi (@Charles Campisi) 1635772675
I'm sure this will be mentioned in a charging document at some point.https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1454921254377558016\u00a0\u2026— David Badash (@David Badash) 1635739565
In a climate when domestic terrorism is on the rise, we have Congress people talking about using explosives. This is what the caliber of Republican politicians has deteriorated down to.https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1454921254377558016\u00a0\u2026— Cliff W (@Cliff W) 1635737460
He knows there are fanatics that take his words literally! He should be sanctioned & arrested for inciting violence! @DOJhttps://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1454920179809460224\u00a0\u2026— Cynthia Rayford (@Cynthia Rayford) 1635769184
It's unclear what consequences, if any, the pair will face.
