Capitol Police: Threats to Congress still ‘too high’ after ‘skyrocketing’ in 2021

Capitol Police have released new data showing that while threats to Congress were lower in 2022 than they were in 2021, they still number in the thousands.

According to Capitol Police, threats to Congress skyrocketed to a record-high in 2021, largely due to the Capitol riot which occurred that year, with a total of 9,625 threats being reported.

By comparison, this number was at 3,939 in 2017.

Things have since cooled down a bit, and Capitol Police say they investigated 7,501 threat cases last year, far lower than in 2021, but still “too high” to be comfortable, according to Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger.

“The threats against Members of Congress are still too high,” Manger said in a statement earlier this week. “This has resulted in a necessary expansion of, not only our investigative capabilities, but our protection responsibilities as well.”

He added, “While that work is ongoing, everyone continuing to decrease violent political rhetoric across the country is the best way to keep everyone safe,” Manger said.

Washington authorities say they are currently working with the experts in threat cases to help determine if any such threats are a legitimate cause for concern.