A far-right Republican candidate in Pennsylvania is under fire for mocking and threatening reporters after they dug into disturbing allegations from his past.
Teddy Daniels, a fervent supporter of former Republican President Donald Trump and candidate for PA Lieutenant Governor, is facing intense scrutiny over domestic violence allegations and a record of misconduct during his previous career as a police officer, which were recently revealed by Rolling Stone magazine.
During a Facebook Live appearance in January, Daniels referred to writers of the bombshell article as "purple-haired sissies" and invited the journalists to "come get some," a violent tone consistent with the records of Daniels' past.
Daniels declined to cooperate with Rolling Stone for the piece, but the journalists who reported it have repeatedly been the targets of Daniels' Facebook Live appearances, including the one below.
Be warned that this video contains offensive language and rhetoric some may find disturbing.
Railing against the media, Daniels said:
“Every sh*t rag liberal paper in the country has come after me... Nothing that these man bun wearing purple-haired sissies can do to me can hurt me.”
He then challenged Rolling Stone to "come get some" and threatened the magazine's staff.
"I dare you to try that strong-arm shit with me, because we will meet in person, and it won’t be a good meeting. I promise you that.”
Daniels is running as a pro-MAGA "law and order" combat veteran with an award-winning career as a police officer, but his record paints a vastly different picture.
Rolling Stone revealed that as a law enforcement officer, he was the subject of a 1999 internal affairs investigation due to “unbecoming conduct” after he was caught “providing deceptive information to an investigator." In 2010, he was suspended and subsequently agreed to resign from another police force for undisclosed misdeeds.
Daniels' home life is likewise littered with disturbing allegations. Daniels' ex-wife claimed in court documents that he was physically and mentally abusive, "pushed, kicked and hit" her, kicked in a door in their home, and harassed her at her place of work after their separation. Daniels has also been at the center of multiple cases of delinquent child support brought by multiple women with whom he has had children.
By all accounts, Daniels is also a political extremist. He has stated publicly that he attended the January 6 insurrection and posted videos of himself at the event on Twitter.
Earlier this week, Daniels was subpoenaed by the January 6 Commission for his involvement in plans to install "alternate electors" with the intent of invalidating the 2020 election.
On Twitter, people were appalled by the details of Daniels' past and applauded the "purple haired sissies" for their work.
In his Facebook Live video this week, Daniels accused Rolling Stone of shoddy and agenda-driven journalism and dismissed the allegations against him. We'll see how that sits with voters when the Pennsylvania primary occurs on May 17.
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