Schumer: I’ve received death threats

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday that he faced death threats after speaking out about the brutal hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“There were more threats against elected officials. I’ve been documented as receiving a few,” Schumer said during his Spectrum News NY1 debate against Republican rival Joe Pinion.

“We need to calm the rhetoric,” he said at Union College in Schenectady, “and condemn violence where it occurs.”

But Pinion slammed Schumer for using divisive rhetoric and encouraging violence against two conservative Supreme Court Justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Schumer had said in March 2020 that judges would “pay the price” if they voted to limit abortion rights.

“There is only one person on this stage whose rhetoric has literally driven an American to the doorstep of a Supreme Court justice to have him killed. That was Chuck Schumer,” Pinion said.

“It’s Chuck Schumer’s divisive rhetoric that led to the environment we see today.”

Schumer said at the time, “‘You unleashed the hurricane and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you continue with these terrible decisions.

The senator withdrew after being publicly condemned by Chief Justice John Roberts and GOP lawmakers, saying he spoke of a political backlash.

Schumer said Sunday night, “The words I used that day were probably the wrong choice of words. That’s what I said then and that’s what I say today.”

But he insisted that “I have never advocated violence in any way. Never have, never do, never do.”

Schumer, a former congressman, is running for a fifth term.

Pinion, a former Conservative TV commentator, also said the media had a “greater responsibility” to encourage civil discourse, discourage heated rhetoric and condemn hate and violence.

Schumer said “thank God” that Paul Pelosi is expected to make a “full recovery” after speaking to Speaker Pelosi several times.