The bomb threat sent to 黑料吃瓜网 Attorney General William Tong鈥檚 Stamford home on Friday is part of a growing number of threats made against public officials across the state and U.S. in recent years.
Tong has been one of the more outspoken state officials regarding President Donald Trump鈥檚 policies. The Democratic attorney general regularly holds press conferences criticizing the Republican president, especially over his attempts to overturn birthright citizenship.
The FBI, which is investigating, has not returned a request for comment.
Tong said this is the first time he鈥檚 received this kind of threat. He said he wasn鈥檛 sure if his outspokenness against Trump鈥檚 policies played a role.
That follows bomb threats made in November against members of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 congressional delegation.
Then, on Wednesday night, State Sen. Stephen Harding 鈥� the Republican minority leader 鈥� reported that a bomb threat had been made against him and his family.
For local and state officials around the country, threats of bodily harm are happening more frequently 鈥� from harassment to physical assault.
issued a report last year showing that more than 40% of state lawmakers surveyed said that threats were made to themselves or to their staff within the past three years. Elected officials who are women and people of color were more likely to face harassment. The report indicated more Republican state lawmakers said the situation was worsening, compared to Democratic state officials.
Tong鈥檚 higher profile in recent months may have played a part in the bomb threat, said Jonathan Wharton, a political science professor at Southern 黑料吃瓜网 State University.
鈥淭he more attention you鈥檙e getting, you鈥檙e going to draw an interest beyond the 黑料吃瓜网 media market, you will go beyond the New York media market 鈥� the attention will be there,鈥� Wharton said.
The bomb threat against Tong is 鈥渏ust another example of the dangerous impact of the heated rhetoric coming out of Washington,鈥� said Roberto Alves, Danbury mayor and chair of the Democratic State Central Committee.
鈥淓very day, the [Trump] administration issues statements and executive orders that demonize and target people across the country who are simply living their lives, going to work or exercising their right to speak out against policies they disagree with,鈥� Alves said.
Tong said he would not back down.
鈥淚'm going to continue to do my job and fight hard for the people of the state, and I will not be bullied or intimidated, but leave my family out of it,鈥� Tong said.
Republicans are also being targeted, said Republican State Sen. Ryan Fazio, who represents Greenwich, Stamford, and New Canaan.
鈥淭he politics of individuals and their opinions should not matter,鈥� Fazio said. 鈥淭hey should always be safe from threats. We've seen the upper leadership of the Republican Party receive threats and be subject to assassination attempts in recent years and now we're seeing members of the Democratic Party leadership receive threats as well.鈥�
State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, a Democrat who represents Bridgeport and Fairfield, said she has not received threatening messages. But she mentioned threats State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff received recently after he advocated for a bill that aims to prevent censorship in public and school libraries.
Vahey did say she has noticed a more confrontational tone from the public.
鈥淭he tenor and tone has changed,鈥� Vahey said. 鈥淐ertainly it鈥檚 changed on social media, but even in emails and in some of the testimony that we received 鈥� the level of aggression is different than it was before.鈥�
