A Florida resident, Michael Shapiro, has been apprehended for sending explicit threats to Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Shapiro left multiple threatening messages at Swalwell’s D.C. office, expressing intentions to harm the congressman and his three children. In his profanity-laden messages, Shapiro alleged that Swalwell was a “Chinese spy” and made reference to the supposed affair with a Chinese national named “Fang Fang.”
The Daily Mail reported: “Fang Fang left China to go to college in the U.S. in 2011, and then worked on developing relationships with key lawmakers, including Swalwell, in order to get access to sensitive information.”
Swalwell stated that he severed ties with “Fang Fang” in 2015 following the FBI’s recommendation. This association resulted in his removal from various significant congressional committees when Republicans assumed control of the House in 2021. The Department of Justice revealed that 72-year-old Michael Shapiro, responsible for the threatening calls, was apprehended at his Greenacres, Florida residence.
Scooplet: Law enforcement has arrested Florida man Michael Shapiro for threatening to kill @RepSwalwell this is the second him Shapiro has been charged with threatening congresspeople in the last five years.
— Seamus Hughes (@SeamusHughes) January 3, 2024
I’ll have more about this in this week’s https://t.co/rPIaJSTvSZ pic.twitter.com/yX3MvYwcqg
The Department of Justice highlighted that Shapiro placed five calls to Swalwell in mid-December, and he was formally arraigned on Wednesday.
Shapiro reportedly said in one voice message: “Hey greaseball, you [expletive] a [expletive] Chinese spy. Fang Fang. Fang Fang. I’m gonna come and kill your children mother-[expletive]. I’m gonna kill your children.”
In another, Shapiro reportedly said: ”You [expletive] a confirmed Chinese spy. You [expletive], [expletive], you [expletive], you [expletive]. You [expletive] a Chinese spy. Fang Fang.”
Swalwell responded to the messages by posting on X: “No threat is going to stop me from representing my constituents.”
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. https://t.co/A4GcATb5GR
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) January 4, 2024
Swalwell attributed Shapiro’s actions to “MAGA” Republicans, asserting, “‘MAGA’ Republicans have opted for violence instead of voting, and this is the result. But I’m not backing down, and neither should you.”
Implying a contrast in behavior, Swalwell stated that his children were “growing up as Democrats,” suggesting a perception of Democrats as less prone to violence.
