As Republicans continue to struggle over who should be the next Speaker of the House following Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) ouster, some lawmakers who have not voted for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the GOP’s nominee, have been receiving angry messages from constituents—and even several death threats.
CNN got a hold of one such vulgar voicemail from a male caller to an unnamed Republican’s wife, airing the message in full Thursday night for its viewers to hear.
“Why is your husband such a pig?” the caller said. “Why would he get on TV and make an asshole of himself? Because he’s a deep state prick? Because he doesn’t represent the people?”
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“So what we’re gonna do is we’re going fucking follow you all over the place,” he continued. “We’re gonna be up your ass fucking nonstop. We are now Antifa. We’re gonna do what the left does because your fucking faggot of a husband gets on TV, ‘Oh, the bad guys, they did stuff. I’m gonna vote for Kevin McCarthy,’—a piece of shit.”
“That is disgusting!” host Jake Tapper said in response.
The chances of Jordan’s ascension to speaker have seemingly worsened by the day. The Ohio congressman saw 20 members of his party vote against him on Tuesday, and on Wednesday that number had grown to 22—much more than the amount Jordan can afford to lose.
On Thursday, the Judiciary Committee chairman’s nomination wasn’t even brought to a vote, with Republicans instead holding a lengthy closed-door argument that apparently got so intense that one had to leave early to pray. Jordan has since indicated he will not back out of the race, but does intend on supporting a plan to temporarily boost the authority of Speaker pro tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC).
It remains to be seen how many more lawmakers will be subjected to calls like the one that aired on CNN’s The Lead, given the pro-Jordan pressure campaign that was carried out by Fox News host Sean Hannity and other Jordan allies.
Those efforts, some Republicans have since admitted, “backfired.”
The unidentified caller pledged that the messages and calls would not subside.
“Fuck you, fuck your husband, and we are gonna—we’re not like the left, we aren’t violent—but we’re gonna follow your ass to every appointment you have, everything you fucking do,” he said.
“So listen, you’re going to keep getting calls and emails. I’m putting all your information over the internet now. Everybody else is,” he said ominously. “And you will not be left alone because of your fucking faggot husband. Jim Jordan or more conservative or you’re going to be fucking molested like you can’t ever imagine. And again, non-violently. You won’t go to the beauty parlor. You must be a bitch to marry a fucking ugly motherfucker like that.”
