Bucks County congressman reports threats over vote

Add Bucks County's congressman to the list of Democrats who have been the target of threats since the House narrowly passed the health-care overhaul bill.

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy has received threats since voting for the health-care overhaul Sunday night but there have been no acts of vandalism against his home or his district offices, a spokeswoman for the congressman said yesterday.

Kate E. Hansen declined to disclose details of the incidents, which she said were under investigation by the FBI and the Capitol Police, the agency charged with protecting members of Congress.

"It's being handled," she said.

Since the health-care bill was approved, 219 to 212, on a mostly party-line vote, some Democratic House members have reported receiving death threats via telephone, e-mail, and fax for supporting it. Lawmakers' offices were vandalized in some states, as were Democratic Party officers. Several Republicans also said they had been targeted because of their opposition.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele declined yesterday to sign a joint statement with his Democratic counterpart, former Virginia governor Tim Kaine, condemning acts of intimidation and calling for "elected officials from both parties to set an example of the civility we want to see in our citizenry." An RNC spokesman noted that Steele had already condemned threats and violence.

The flurry of threats came as members of Congress left Washington for a two-week break.

"I'm a little worried about people going home now - there are going to be a lot of town-hall meetings," said Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.), the Philadelphian who is chairman of the House committee that oversees the Capitol Police. "But you can't shy away, and I don't think anybody will."

Local police said they had no recent reports of vandalism at Murphy's district offices in Bristol Borough and Doylestown Borough or at his home