'Vile stuff': Outrage as Florida man arrested for threatening to kill Rep Eric Swalwell and his children

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: A wave of outrage erupted online as a 72-year-old Florida man was arrested on Wednesday, January 3 in connection with threats to kill Rep Eric Swalwell, D-California, and his children.

A criminal complaint has noted that Michael Shapiro, of Greenacres, allegedly left numerous menacing voicemails at Swalwell's congressional office in Washington, DC, last month.

Threats to "come after you and kill you" and "come and kill your children" were among the five voicemails that Shapiro is said to have left from his Florida home on December 19.

According to the lawsuit, Shapiro left other voicemails that seemed to allude to allegations linking Swalwell to a possible Chinese intelligence agent. They repeatedly refer to "a Chinese spy” and "Fang Fang.”

Concerning the threats, Shapiro made his first court appearance on Wednesday, before being released on bail. He has an arraignment scheduled for January 24, reported the Justice Department.

What did Swalwell say about the threats?

In a statement, Swalwell addressed the threats, saying, “There is no place in America for threats of political violence. We must always resolve our differences at the ballot box.”

“While I will continue to protect my family and staff these continued threats will never stop me from representing my constituents,” he continued.

The Congressman released another statement on Twitter, claiming, “No threat is going to stop me from representing my constituents. MAGA Republicans have chosen violence over voting and this is what it looks like. But I’m not going away and neither should you.”

Following Shapiro’s arrest, it was revealed that it was not the first time Shapiro had been accused of making threats. He pleaded guilty in federal court in 2019 to making threatening communications to another victim, according to the complaint.

Shapiro's detention coincides with a surge of threats against public servants and aspirants to political office. A New Hampshire man was indicted last month after threatening text messages were allegedly sent to three presidential candidates, including Republicans Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie.

Internet reacts to Shapiro’s arrest

The news of Shapiro's arrest for threatening Swalwell has sparked a furious outrage, with one user saying, “He is 72 years old and has apparently done this before. At least they didn’t shoot this one.”

“This is the vile stuff that's happening. Remember when families were off-limits”? when people could reach across the aisle? when they could argue in chambers but go to dinner together later?” a second user fumed.

“Why would they let him out on bail? This is the 2nd time he’s made threats to an elected official! If someone had a restraining order and they ignored it they wld be in jail awaiting trial,” a third stated.

“Oh my god what is wrong with people. That is so scary for his family and him,” a user said while another wrote, “72 years old!!! What a waste of his "golden years." Glad he was caught.”

“It’s a given that clowns like this aren’t bright, but did he really expect any other outcome?” a user asked.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.