May 13, 2026 − The following events can be attributed to Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10):
“Yesterday I learned that a man was arrested in Lebanon, Pennsylvania after publishing a hit list of 20 Pennsylvania Democrats, including me. He claimed he was planning a ‘Memorial Day operation,’ threatened police officers who got in his way, and claimed he had a ‘God-given right’ to kill authorities.” I am grateful to the local and state police who investigated and arrested the person responsible for the threats. This particular case involved an individual with a clear history of mental illness. But in a broader sense, this is another example of the normalization of political violence in our country. We must continue to speak out against this trend and address one of the root causes: the completely unregulated and misunderstood online and social media environment, which too often amplify the most extreme content because it arouses a sense of outrage, which in turn makes it too uncomplicated to accept violence as an alternative. “Congress must take action, and if it doesn’t, states must step in.”
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