Former President Donald Trump ‘s supporters were once incessantly threatening Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold with death and violence after her state successfully challenged Trump’s right to be on the 2024 presidential ballot . “I’ve been concerned about violence and threats of violence since Donald Trump incited the insurrection,” said Griswold, Colorado’s Democratic secretary of state since 2019, in an interview with HuffPost . “I’ve received hundreds if not thousands of threats at this point.”
Griswold made the statement after the Colorado Supreme Court ordered to remove Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on insurrectionists, a decision the former president has pledged to appeal, per Raw Story . Despite her lack of involvement in the case regarding Trump’s eligibility to run on the state ballot, she experienced an incredible surge of threats.
Within three weeks of the lawsuit being filed, I received 64 death threats. I stopped counting after that. I will not be intimidated. Democracy and peace will triumph over tyranny and violence. https://t.co/V0Phywslq3
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) January 18, 2024
For what it’s worth, six Republican and unaffiliated voters in Colorado submitted the action, which was initiated in September of 2023 by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics organization in Washington. “I did not file this case. I’m part of this case because I’m the secretary of state,” Griswold said. “Within three weeks of it being filed, I received 64 death threats and over 900 non-lethal threats of abuse. I stopped counting after that.”
Griswold also admitted that she agrees with the ruling, even as Trump prepares to appeal. “The provision in the Constitution to stop insurrectionists from holding office is there for a reason,” she said. “Trump incited the insurrection. There shouldn’t be a loophole that allows a president to violate the oath of office and be on the ballot again.”
Griswold acknowledged that the threat atmosphere had been making it difficult to work around but promised she could not give in against extremists. “I will not be intimidated,” she said. “We cannot allow these people trying to steal elections and using rhetoric to incite violence… to not be opposed with the truth. I’ll be as smart as possible with my security issues, but I am not going to be intimidated by Donald Trump or anybody else on the MAGA right.”
The justices of the Colorado Supreme Court were also receiving violent threats on conventional and alternative social media platforms, per CBS News . Advance Democracy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that carries out public interest research, compiled and examined the threats made against the justices, all seven of whom are Democrats.
Trump’s supporters have threatened the Justices of the CO Supreme Court and me. I will not be intimidated. Colorado will have great elections in 2024 and beyond. pic.twitter.com/3c2M8oK5j6
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) January 11, 2024
Some posts have urged followers to arm themselves with guns and ammo and to wage a civil war against Democrats , while others have called for the judges and Trump’s opponents to be executed by shooting, hanging, or bombing. “What do you call 7 justices from the Colorado Supreme Court on the bottom of the ocean? A good start,” one user wrote, as per NBC News , on a pro-Trump forum. Another post on a website read, “K-ll judges. Behead judges. Roundhouse kick a judge into the concrete. Slam dunk a judge’s baby into the trashcan.”
This article was originally published on 22.12.23. It has since been updated.