This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 23, 2012 - Federal authorities are investigating threats of death and violence that have been directed this week at Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Todd Akin, his family and his staff, his district director confirmed late Thursday.
“There have been threatening statements made to Congressman Akin’s official office, threatening rape of staff, the congressman’s family and even the congressman himself, and suggestions that people die,” said district director Steve Taylor.
“The Capitol Police and the FBI are investigating,’’ Taylor added.
Taylor emphasized that "multiple threats'' had been made.
He said the threats began shortly after last Sunday’s broadcast of Akin’s controversial remarks about rape, made in an interview with KTVI (Channel 2) newsman Charles Jaco.
Jaco asked Akin about his opposition to allowing abortions in case of rape. Akin responded, "First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Akin subsequently apologized for what he acknowledged was an inaccurate statement, amid a national uproar that has engulfed the Republican Party. Many national and state party leaders have called for him to step down as as the GOP nominee against U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a key target in the Republican effort to take control of the Senate in this fall’s elections.
Akin says he's determined to remain in the contest.
Taylor, who also is Akin’s communications director, declined to say whether the threats were directed at Akin’s office in Washington or its counterpart in suburban St. Louis.
As a top member of Akin’s congressional staff, Taylor is not involved in the congressman’s campaign. But Taylor said he obviously had been observing the controversy.
When asked why such threats would be made, Taylor said, “I think there’s just a lot of emotion out there.”
But he also took note of “political commentators out there, saying ‘He’s a selfish pig.’ It helps to create a situation that is conducive to these types of (threats) happening."
He declined to identify any commentators, but conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter referred to Akin this week as a “selfish swine’’ because he has declined to drop out of the race.
Akin has largely been away from his official offices this week, traveling first to Ohio to confer with campaign consultants and then to Tampa – where he remains, to meet with fellow social conservatives and evangelicals attending a meeting of the political influential Council for National Policy before the Republican presidential convention begins next week.
Robert Koenig, Beacon Washington correspondent, contributed information for this article.
