Threats to public officials soaring, deputy attorney general says

The Justice Department is seeing an “unprecedented rise” in threats to public officials, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said during an interview that aired Sunday.

“On a weekly basis — sometimes more often — I am getting reports about threats to public officials, threats to our prosecutors, threats to law enforcement agents who work in the Justice Department, threats to judges,” Monaco said during a pre-taped interview seen on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

“In fact, just this week, just this week, Pierre, we've had cases involving threats to kill FBI agents, a Supreme Court justice and three presidential candidates. That’s just this week,” she told ABC’s Pierre Thomas. (Monaco didn't identify these targets by name.)

Former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric isn’t helping, she said.

“When people [are] using words like 'poisoning the blood' and calling DOJ officials 'thugs,' is that helpful?” Thomas asked — alluding to remarks Trump has repeatedly made on the campaign trail, though not explicitly naming the former president.

“Of course it’s not helpful,” Monaco replied.

The source of the threats has changed since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 back in 2001, Monaco said. Then, the United States’ security apparatus was concentrated on plots from foreign terrorist organizations. Now, they’re “most worried about” individuals or small groups who have been radicalized online by domestic issues or foreign organizations.

Threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab Americans are also on the rise in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, Monaco said.

“Since Oct. 7, the FBI has received more than 1,800 reports of threats or other types of tips or leads that are somehow related to or have a nexus to the current conflict in Israel and Gaza,” Monaco said, though many of them are resolved without incident.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he has “never been more concerned about a terrorist attack” on the United States than he is now, particularly as the U.S. continues to support Israel’s siege of Gaza.

“We're helping Israel deal with the destruction of Hamas, defending themselves after Oct. 7. Jihadist groups all over the world are calling on their members to attack America as payback for us helping Israel. So the threat levels are at an all-time high,” Graham said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”