House Democrats urge Twitter, TikTok, Meta and others to address spike in threats against law enforcement after FBI search of Trump home Mar-a-Lago -…
The sign for the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building can be seen through fencing and barbed wire surrounding construction on the side of the building in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 17, 2022.
Leah Millis | Reuters
House Oversight Committee leaders urged eight social media companies Friday to crack down on online threats against law enforcement that are reportedly on the rise following the FBI's raid of former President Donald Trump's home Mar-a-Lago.
The lawmakers sent letters demanding information and documents from Twitter, TikTok, Facebook parent company Meta and Telegram, as well as the Trump-backed app Truth Social. Three other platforms with largely conservative followings, Rumble, Gettr and Gab, were also contacted.
The letters seek data on the threats posted online since the Aug. 8 search of the former president's Palm Beach, Florida, residence, along with information about company policies for reporting and removing threats.
Statements by Trump and his Republican allies about the search may have "unleashed a flood of violent threats on social media that have already led to at least one death," Oversight Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and National Security subcommittee Chairman Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., wrote in the letters.
They cited a warning from the FBI and Homeland Security Department that threats against officers have spiked online since agents executed the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, according to NBC News.
The Democrats were also referencing a man who fired a nail gun at an FBI office in Cincinnati, Ohio, then fled before being killed in a gunfight with police. That man, identified by police as Ricky Shiffer, had apparently posted numerous threatening messages on Truth Social following the Mar-a-Lago raid.
"We urge you to take immediate action to address any threats of violence against law enforcement that appear on your company's platforms," Maloney and Lynch wrote in the letters.
Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., are seen during a House Oversight and Reform Committee markup in Rayburn Building on a resolution on whether to hold Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress on Wednesday, June 12, 2019.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
"The Committee strongly supports the First Amendment rights of all Americans to speak out about the actions of their government and law enforcement matters, including on social media platforms. However, threats and incitements of deadly violence are unacceptable and against the law," they wrote.
The committee leaders said they are also looking into "whether legislative reform is necessary to protect law enforcement personnel and increase coordination with federal authorities."
Trump himself revealed the search in a furious statement on the evening of Aug. 8, declaring his resort home was "under siege" by FBI agents.
Numerous Republican officials quickly issued statements criticizing the raid and supporting Trump, the de facto GOP leader who is considering a 2024 presidential run. Some, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggested the Department of Justice during President Joe Biden's administration had been weaponized against its political opponents.
Even former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump has considered an enemy ever since Pence refused to reject key electoral votes confirming Biden's win in the 2020 election, said he felt "deep concern" about the "unprecedented" move.
The letters sent Friday morning cited numerous threatening posts from Truth Social that "coincided" with the rhetoric from GOP leaders.
"The Second Amendment is not about shooting deer! Lock and load!" one post read. "Arm yourselves! We are about to enter into Civil War!" another user wrote.
Maloney and Lynch are asking the companies to send the requested information by Sept. 2.
- Governor Murphys Latest Plan is to Tax the Second Amendment Rights of New Jerseyans - Shore News Network - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Second Amendment Protection Act changes head to governor's desk - Wyoming Tribune - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- WY: TELL THE GOVERNOR Support Second Amendment Protections! - Gun Owners of America - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Second Amendment Protection Act changes head to governor's desk - Wyoming News Now - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Gun Advocates Demand Results After Second Amendment Executive Order - MSN - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Could The Washington Post Go Pro-Second Amendment? | An Official Journal Of The NRA - America's 1st Freedom - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Second Amendment Concerns Raised After Long Island Village Bans All Gun and Ammo Sales - MSN - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Trumps bold move to strengthen the Second Amendment - Washington Times - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- After York County shootings, its time to update the Second Amendment [letter] - LNP | LancasterOnline - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- NSSF Praises South Dakotas Gov. Larry Rhoden for Protecting Second Amendment Privacy - National Shooting Sports Foundation - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Fear not the endless presidency: The Twenty-second Amendment - Convention of States Action - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- New Florida bill would strengthen Second Amendment rights at colleges and universities - Campus Reform - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- How USAID Funded the War on the Second Amendment | An Official Journal Of The NRA - America's 1st Freedom - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Bills affect homeless, addresses wildfires, makes OK a Second Amendment sanctuary state - Yahoo - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Trump Issues Executive Order: Protecting Second Amendment Rights Where are we now? - Firearms News - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Executive Order 14206Protecting Second Amendment Rights - The American Presidency Project - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Trump is protecting the Second Amendment - Washington Times - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Trump Signs Executive Order Strengthening Second Amendment | An Official Journal Of The NRA - American Hunter - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Executive Order Seeks to Protect Second Amendment After Prior Administration - Turning Point USA - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Executive Order on the Second Amendment, which doesn't need any help - Daily Kos - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- NRA Statement on President Trumps Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights - NRA Women - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- President Trump signs executive order 'protecting Second Amendment rights' - Buckeye Firearms Association - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Trump starts unwinding Biden regulations that infringe on Second Amendment rights of Americans - Must Read Alaska - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- White House Wields Executive Power to Bolster Second Amendment: - Hoodline - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- DeSantis Second Amendment Summer is more about his aspirations than Floridas budget | Opinion - Miami Herald - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Dueling Gun Groups Strike Truce To Push Wyoming Second Amendment Rights Bill - Cowboy State Daily - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump AG Pick: I Am an Advocate for the Second Amendment, but I Will Enforce the Laws of the Land - The Reload - January 19th, 2025 [January 19th, 2025]
- Second Amendment advocates skeptical of Pam Bondi - Washington Examiner - January 19th, 2025 [January 19th, 2025]
- Federal Judges (Still) Have No Earthly Idea What to Do With the Supreme Courts Second Amendment Cases - Balls & Strikes - January 19th, 2025 [January 19th, 2025]
- Tuberville, Britt reintroduce pro-second amendment Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act - Yellowhammer News - January 19th, 2025 [January 19th, 2025]
- Donald Trump Jr. says younger people are getting into the Second Amendment amid GrabAGun SPAC deal - Fox Business - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- GrabAGun, a Mobile-Focused Online Firearms Retailer Defending the Second Amendment, to Become a Public Company through a Business Combination with... - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Secretary Gray Calls on Wyoming Legislature to Protect Second Amendment Rights by Repealing Gun Free Zones - Sheridan Media - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Bernstine Takes Oath of Office, Committed to Protecting Second Amendment Rights, Fighting Wasteful Spending - EllwoodCity.org - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- NRA-ILA demonstrates its influence in advancing Second Amendment causes - Buckeye Firearms Association - December 18th, 2024 [December 18th, 2024]
- Availability of a second Amendment to the 2023 Universal Registration Document - Yahoo Finance - December 14th, 2024 [December 14th, 2024]
- Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch Signal Readiness to Revisit Second Amendment Licensing Disputes - USA Herald - December 14th, 2024 [December 14th, 2024]
- Supreme Court Passes On Chance To Correct Hawaii Ruling Finding Spirit Of Aloha Trumps Second Amendment - Daily Caller - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- AG nominee Pam Bondi's mixed record on Second Amendment raises 'red flags' - Buckeye Firearms Association - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Nearly 100 Anti-Second Amendment Measures Proposed To Texas Legislature - Firearms News - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Sen. Cruz Takes Stand to Stop Mexico from Violating U.S. Constitution & Second Amendment - Texas Border Business - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Sen. Cruz Leads Bicameral Amicus Urging Supreme Court to Uphold American Sovereignty and the Second Amendment - TexasGOPVote - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- The bill aims to protect Texans Second Amendment rights by blocking enforcement of extreme risk protective orders - The Dallas Express - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Trumps New Attorney General Pick Should Face Tough Questions at Confirmation. She Flouts the Second Amendment - The Stream - November 26th, 2024 [November 26th, 2024]
- Ames Moot Court Competition takes on the Second Amendment - Harvard Law School - November 26th, 2024 [November 26th, 2024]
- State Leaders Take Aim at the Second Amendment - The Dallas Express - November 26th, 2024 [November 26th, 2024]
- Trump's victory over Harris proves 'Second Amendment won,' gun rights groups say - Fox News - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Mecklenburg Co. Sheriff's Office stripping sober gun owners of their Second Amendment right - WCNC.com - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Where John Thune Stands on Gun Control and the Second Amendment - Guns.com - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Elections have consequences, particularly when it comes to the Second Amendment - Rome Sentinel - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Analysis: Can Arms in Common Use be Banned Under the Second Amendment? [Member Exclusive] - The Reload - November 2nd, 2024 [November 2nd, 2024]
- Where the Harris/Walz Ticket Stands on the Second Amendment - Catalyst - November 2nd, 2024 [November 2nd, 2024]
- Harris Claims She, Not Trump, Will Defend the Second Amendment | An Official Journal Of The NRA - America's 1st Freedom - November 2nd, 2024 [November 2nd, 2024]
- An NRA Shooting Sports Journal | Royce Gracie Speaks Out About NRA And The Second Amendment - Shooting Sports USA - October 29th, 2024 [October 29th, 2024]
- Future of SCOTUS and Second Amendment rights on the ballot - Buckeye Firearms Association - October 29th, 2024 [October 29th, 2024]
- A Second Amendment Rally Like No Other - MSN - October 29th, 2024 [October 29th, 2024]
- Second Amendment Voters Arent Buying Harriss Pandering But Theyre Glad She Feels Compelled to Try - National Review - October 29th, 2024 [October 29th, 2024]
- Elon Musk Gets to the Basis of the Second Amendment | An Official Journal Of The NRA - America's 1st Freedom - October 29th, 2024 [October 29th, 2024]
- Hovde and Baldwin on the Second Amendment and gun control - PBS Wisconsin - October 21st, 2024 [October 21st, 2024]
- Kamala Harris claims she's got a gun, but Second Amendment supporters say good luck getting yours - Fox News - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Trump fans fear for Second Amendment at festival of God, guns and motorcycles - FRANCE 24 English - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Second Amendment Roundup: The VanDerStok Argument - Reason - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Second Amendment Roundup: ATF's Wish to Trace More Firearms Doesn't Justify Redefining "Firearm" - Reason - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Harris and Walz Are Gunning for the Second Amendment - Heritage.org - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Travis Kelce slams NFL for punishing player over gun celebration: 'It's my second amendment! I have the right - Daily Mail - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Massachusetts Governor Healey Subverts Democratic Process And The Second Amendment - The Truth About Guns - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Local leaders take part in Peterborough Town Library discussion on Second Amendment - Monadnock Ledger Transcript - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- An Official Journal Of The NRA | Kamala Harris Would Destroy The Second Amendment - America's 1st Freedom - September 28th, 2024 [September 28th, 2024]
- Rep. Tenney Recognized for Support of the Second Amendment - Finger Lakes Daily News - September 28th, 2024 [September 28th, 2024]
- Amy Swearer: Harris and Walz are gunning for the Second Amendment - Arizona Daily Star - September 28th, 2024 [September 28th, 2024]
- Amy Swearer: Harris and Walz are gunning for the Second Amendment - Quad-City Times - September 28th, 2024 [September 28th, 2024]
- Lower courts willingly thumb nose at SCOTUS over Second Amendment - Buckeye Firearms Association - September 28th, 2024 [September 28th, 2024]
- Glenn Grothman will defend our Second Amendment rights -- Nathan Pollnow - Madison.com - September 26th, 2024 [September 26th, 2024]
- The Second Amendment Bible Review: A Comprehensive Guide to Gun Rights and Ownership - Journal of the San Juan Islands - September 26th, 2024 [September 26th, 2024]
- Letter to the Editor: Second Amendment rights - Newton Daily News - September 26th, 2024 [September 26th, 2024]
- The Second Amendment Bible Review: A Must-Have for Every Gun Owner? - The Daily World - September 26th, 2024 [September 26th, 2024]
- NSSF Urges All Gun Owners and Second Amendment Supporters to Register to Vote and #GUNVOTE on November 5th - National Shooting Sports Foundation - September 26th, 2024 [September 26th, 2024]
- Kamala Harris for the castle doctrine, and the Second Amendment - Daily Kos - September 22nd, 2024 [September 22nd, 2024]
- People gather for Second Amendment march - WLNS - September 22nd, 2024 [September 22nd, 2024]
- Kamala Harris on Second Amendment Support, Gun Law Reform: 'Somebody Breaks in My House, Theyre Getting Shot' - Yahoo Entertainment - September 22nd, 2024 [September 22nd, 2024]