Now in his 12th year as a U.S. House aide, Mitchell Rivard admits he's increasingly concerned about harassment and threats against his colleagues, much more so than in the past.
Rivard, the chief of staff for Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan, said some of the calls to his congressional office are sometimes so intimidating and threatening that he tries to intervene to avoid hostility from the callers .
He said he now advises his staff to transfer those calls to his mobile phone and forward any threatening messages to him.
“If they're raising their voices, using inappropriate language or making you uncomfortable, transfer them directly to me,” Rivard told CBS News he told his colleagues.
Rivard says he and a group of his House colleagues have held meetings on how to manage the toxic atmosphere of this political moment, which has seen an increase in the number of threats against members of Congress and their officials.
“The atmosphere in Congress wasn't incredible when Congressman Kildee got here, but it certainly hasn't gotten any better,” Rivard said. “When it comes to safety and security, I have to think constantly and frequently much more than ever before.”
Taught by Mitchell Rivard
A survey of dozens of top congressional aides by the nonprofit Congressional Management Foundation finds that the vast majority feel “anxiety and/or fear” about the security of working in their jobs and concerns about threats against members of Congress during events and public appearances.
The survey, conducted by 138 top congressional aides, showed that a greater percentage of longtime aides and female staffers were more likely to acknowledge security fears because of their jobs. Among the report's findings: 70 percent of employees said they experienced “insulting or threatening direct messages or communications” while at work. Nearly three out of four members of the Senate said they often experienced anxiety about the safety of members of Congress.
And 38 percent of longtime aides, including women and those who have worked in congressional offices for more than 11 years, wonder if they should leave their jobs now because of security concerns.
The foundation's study said Democratic respondents were more likely to report anxieties than Republicans, although staff members from both parties widely reported incidents of harassing and threatening messages.
“Jan. 6 was still on the back of a lot of people's minds,” said Bradley Fitch, president of the Congressional Management Foundation and a former congressional aide. “The death threats coming into the offices have not decreased,” Fitch said. “This is a disturbing trend. I was just working with some inmates last week, and I was struck by the number of death threats they have received.”
“The front door opened…”
Last week, a Florida man pleaded guilty to federal charges for making phone threats against Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and his children. According to a signed agreement, Michael Shapiro admitted to calling Swalwell's office and leaving a message that said, “I'm coming to kill your kids, motherfucker. I'm going to kill your kids.”
Prosecutors and defense attorneys pointed to Shapiro's claim that he was angry at Swalwell and intoxicated when he left the message, according to the plea agreement.
“When he played an audio recording of a threatening message left at the congressman's office, the defendant said, 'I don't know what to tell you, he sounds like a drunk man.'
Threatening behavior is not limited to phone calls or social media. In May 2023, Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 50, allegedly wielded a baseball bat and attacked staff members in the office of Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly in Fairfax, Virginia. An FBI affidavit said Pham was demanding to speak to Connolly, a longtime congressman from Northern Virginia.
An employee was training a new intern in administrative tasks and “[s]Suddenly, the front door opened and Pham, wielding a baseball bat, charged through,” the affidavit says. “Using the bat, Pham struck (the victim) in the head, knocking her down on the ground”.
Pham has not entered a plea in his federal case, which has been pending in federal court in Alexandria, Va., since mid-May, according to a review of court records. A Justice Department spokesman declined to say why the case has been put on hold.
Not all recent attacks on Congress or staff have political overtones. Kendrid Hamlin, 27, will be in prison in Pennsylvania until April 2025 for assaulting Rep. Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat who was attacked in her Capitol Hill apartment building in February 2023.
Hamlin caught and beat Craig in the elevator at Craig's apartment complex and tried to break into Craig's apartment, according to court documents. He escaped after throwing hot coffee at Hamlin and running from the elevator to the next stop.
Although Hamlin pleaded guilty, Craig's letter to the court at a sentencing hearing underscored the ongoing pain and recovery from the attack.
“He grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against the steel wall,” she wrote. “He punched me in the face.”
Craig also said he has since been the subject of death threats and doxing amid media attention for the assault. He wrote that his “mental and emotional recovery” continues.
“Heated political rhetoric” that is “unprecedented and alarming”
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger will testify at a Senate hearing this week to advocate for 2025 funding for the department's security initiatives. He warned of increased threats against lawmakers in a House hearing last month.
“Our country is in the midst of a historic increase in threats fueled by the current climate of heated political rhetoric; it is both unprecedented and alarming,” he told the House hearing. “Over the past year, we have seen a dangerous increase in acts of violence against members of Congress, their families, and staff.”
Three federal prosecutors have been assigned to help Capitol Police handle threat cases. They will be based in Tampa, San Jose, California and Washington, DC. Prosecutors bring and will further develop expertise in handling threats against federal officials.
Rep. David Valadao, a California Republican who recently took over as chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee that oversees Capitol Police funding, told CBS News that he recently met with Chief of Capitol Police and the sergeant-at-arms to talk about the safety of members and their families in their hometowns.
“I think most members of Congress have had experiences, in a negative way, when it comes to threats and things like that,” Valadao said.
“Security questions are relevant” to staffers considering continued work in Congress
Fitch said incidents of harassment and intimidation risk fueling attrition among congressional aides.
“Capitol Hill is a plum job for many people, but clearly the mental pressure and mental well-being issues are unfortunate,” he said. “Security questions are relevant to people as they consider whether they want to keep their jobs in Congress.”
Staff organized a trauma support group that met regularly in the months following the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. An organizer said the group recently halted its formal meetings but made progress in responding to the trauma and fear suffered after the attack.
Another founder said, “It helped us connect to talk about it…to share our experiences and compare each other.”
Rivard said congressional staff are experiencing more pressure as their workloads increase and concern about heightened threats. He helps operate an association of congressional chiefs of staff to exchange ideas on how to respond to tensions: “We're trying to bring people together to make this place work in these pretty partisan times.”
Scott MacFarlane
