‘Someone May Try To Kill Us’: Republican Who Voted For Impeachment Says His Colleagues Are Buying Body Armor

In an interview on Thursday, Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan shared disturbing details about the dynamics in the U.S. Congress in the aftermath of violent attacks on the Capitol building.

Per Newsweek, speaking with MSNBC host Hallie Jackson, Meijer said that many of his colleagues are concerned for their safety. Some, he explained, travel with security while others are looking to buy body armor in order to protect themselves from potential attacks from angry supporters of President Donald Trump.

“I have colleagues who are now traveling with armed escorts out of fear for their safety,” Meijer stated, noting that lawmakers are now operating under the assumption that their lives are in danger.

“Many of us are altering our routines, working to get body armor, which a reimbursable purchase that we can make. It’s sad that we have to get to that point, but our expectation is that someone may try to kill us.”

“We have to account for every scenario,” the congressman added, noting that there is “an unprecedented degree of fear, of divisiveness, of hatred” in the nation’s capital as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take over the presidency.

Earlier this week, as Newsweek noted, multiple reports alleged that House Republicans have been threatened with violence, with Trump supporters warning them to vote against impeachment.

Meijer told MSNBC that he has not received death threats from angry voters, but stressed that they should not factor into a lawmaker’s decisions.

If members of Congress “let that guide decisions, then you’re cowering to the mob,” Meijer said, “that’s the definition of terrorism, is trying to achieve a political end using violence.”

Meijer was one of 10 Republican lawmakers to vote in favor of Trump’s impeachment. House Democrats introduced articles to remove Trump from office on Thursday, accusing him of inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government.

Other lawmakers have echoed Meijer’s warnings.

On Wednesday, as the House was gearing up to vote on impeachment, Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado said that Republicans in the lower chamber have been reluctant to speak out and condemn Trump’s behavior because they are “paralyzed with fear”

Much like Meijer, Crow argued that congresspeople should not let this influence their votes and called on his GOP colleagues to put the country first and stand up to the commander-in-chief.

Polling suggest that Trump still has a firm grip on the GOP’s base, despite the fact that politicians from both sides of the aisle have criticized him for inciting violence. For instance, a new Axios-Ipsos poll found that 64 percent of Republican voters approve of Trump’s behavior in recent days while more than 50 percent of them believe he should be the party’s nominee in 2024.