Nassau County authorities have confirmed that Kenneth Gasper, a 64-year-old resident of Long Island, New York, has been arrested after threatening to kill Republican New York Representative Andrew Garbarino for voting for President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill.
The criminal complaint against Gasper "was extremely upset over an infrastructure bill" and made clear, in reference to Garbarino, "If I see that mother [expletive] in the street, I'm going to kill him."
Gasper was charged with second-degree aggravated harassment and was arraigned Thursday, November 11. He has pleaded not guilty, was released, and has been ordered to stay away from Garbarino.
Garbarino broke with his party to vote for the $1 trilllion infrastructure package which, among other things, would put $550 billion in new funding into transportation, broadband and utilities.
The measure passed in a 228-206 vote. Garbarino was one of thirteen Republicans to vote for it.
Gasper's call to Garbarino came shortly after Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that Garbarino and the other twelve Republicans to vote for the infrastructure bill were "traitors" to the Republican agenda.
Greene's tweet also included phone numbers for all of the lawmakers.
Speaking to Buzzfeed News after receiving Gasper's threat, Garbarino said:
"It's amazing people want to kill me over paving roads and clean water,. The misinformation out there about this bill is so bad that I'm getting death threats."
Many have condemned Gasper's actions and have suggested that they are indicative of a wider trend within the Republican Party to call for violence against elected officials.
A 64-year-old Long Island man was arrested after making a death threat to Congressman Andrew Garbarino, one of 13 House Republicans who supported President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.
...and the violence rages on.
— ~𝓣𝓮𝓷𝓪𝓬𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓣𝓮𝓪𝓱~ (@TeahCartel) November 12, 2021
Republicans don't understand that a win for the president is a win for us. All the American people.
👇👇👇👇👇
Long Island man charged with making death threat to GOP Congressman Andrew Garbarino over infrastructure vote - ABC7 New York https://t.co/vbiqp2XC7X
— NeverTrumper (@NeverTr95218328) November 12, 2021
All of our tough on crime practices have unfortunately only led us to the thinking displayed here. The idea that exerting violence/harm on someone is how to express your emotions is deeply problematic and our punitive ways encourages this. https://t.co/s8bHAVrhln
— Dee (@deemishell) November 12, 2021
People are nuts... https://t.co/E8nPn4RrBE
— Dean #LetsGoBrandon in Waukesha✝ (@deaninwaukesha) November 14, 2021
Evil wants to kill the do-gooders. https://t.co/uQcsbh63Ng
— joey h (@southofgeorgia) November 13, 2021
Republicans need to understand that the rule of law applies to THEM, too. Get on it, @DOJCrimDiv https://t.co/3Eqg3eOt98
— Ale (@aliasvaughn) November 13, 2021
Cops: Man charged for death threat to Rep. Andrew Garbarino
Kenneth Gasper, 64, faces a second-degree charge of aggravated harassment, police said.
Only sick right wingers can really destroy the GOP. https://t.co/4lvupFBab9
— Dan Janison (@Danjanison) November 12, 2021
The GOP has poisoned the minds of so many that they eat their own because someone in the party voted for much needed infrastructure. I don't know what can be done, but jesus it feels like we just sit around and watch this happen more and more https://t.co/2xUFnoaSPO
— John Ernenputsch (@jpooch21) November 13, 2021
Republican on Republican violence,Republican propaganda is creating white domestic terrorists.https://t.co/Z0OeB9UYN8
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., voted for the infrastructure bill. Rep. Fred Upton received a threatening voicemail after voting for the bill.
— sylvaner (@Sylvaners) November 12, 2021
THIS is the current trump cult bullshit. It's them against us. We're enacting laws that benefit the middleclass & just because it's a Biden presidency
Rep. Andrew Garbarino receives death threat for voting in favor of President Biden's infrastructure bill https://t.co/mAoZ27Vgcq
— Carrie (@Carrie11018) November 12, 2021
Violent threats against lawmakers are expected to double this year, according to a recent report from The New York Times, which observed that "menace" has entered mainstream American politics.
Greene, for her part, has defended her decision to single out the Republicans who voted for the infrastructure bill.
On Saturday, November 13, she insisted that her decision was justified, claiming that she also receives "nasty calls," except from the "deranged left," not Republicans.
Greene insisted that the Republicans who voted for the infrastructure bill are helping Democrats "destroy our economy, take away our freedoms, enslave us in crippling debt, and corrupt our society with immoral policies."
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