A far-right Canadian man sent a direct message to Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on Instagram and said he should be shot. So, to bring the man to justice, Swalwell tweeted for his followers’ help identifying him. In an eight-tweet thread Thursday, Swalwell shared screenshots of his conversation with the man, in which the user apologized to Swalwell once the congressman began to inquire about him (“to share it with law enforcement”) and said he didn’t mean what he’d said. The user—who shared his Instagram handle, name, job, and city, all of which Swalwell published—pointed to outlets like Fox News’ coverage of Swalwell’s relationship with a suspected Chinese spy as clouding his judgment. Swalwell said the exchange demonstrated Fox News’—in particular, Tucker Carlson’s—potential for worldwide brainwashing. “The lies from Tucker and others are radicalizing people across not just America but the world,” Swalwell wrote. “The lies are inspiring people to make threats of violence against lawmakers. Tucker & Co. know this. And that’s why they tell their lies. They want to incite the mob.”
A man DM’d I should be shot. For my family’s safety, I asked Twitter for help ID’ing him. When Twitter fell short (thanks for trying!) I asked the guy his name (stringing him a bit) & why he threatened me. Meet Jeremy Marshall who told me he was radicalized by Tucker Carlson. 🧵
