One day after U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, R-17, Aspinwall, was among the subjects of a series of negative social media comments by President Donald Trump, two of his district offices, including the one on Brodhead Road in Center Township, were evacuated due to bomb threats.
According to social media posts by Deluzio’s staff, the calls came the afternoon of Nov. 21 and police were contacted. The other office threatened was in Carnegie, Allegheny County. No bombs were found.
Police have not officially linked the incidents to Trump’s comments, but authorities are looking for the callers. Anyone with information on the incidents is urged to call the police.
Deluzio and five other Democratic lawmakers released a video Nov. 20 urging military members not to follow illegal commands, which drew the ire of Trump. The video did not explain which illegal orders the group was referring to.
According to USA Today, Democrats have pointed toward Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to American cities and his extrajudicial strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs as illegal.
“You must refuse illegal orders,” Deluzio, a former U.S. Navy officer, said in the video. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a former intelligence officer, also appears in the video. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law,” she said.
In the aftermath of the video, Trump made several social media posts calling the group traitors and saying their actions were sedition, which could mean the death penalty.
While some political leaders supported Trump’s message, others expressed concern that the comments would lead to political violence.
