Secret Service Director denies allegation that Obama faces 400% increase in death threats

[mcablue]

A while ago, a conservative commentator who works for the magazine "Newsmax" wrote a book claiming that death threats were up 400% under Obama's tenure. Today in the Washington Post, however, it's being reported that the director of the Secret Service, Mark Sullivan, said yesterday during testimony to a House committee:

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) wanted to know whether Obama faced a greater threat to his security than past presidents.

Sullivan said that published reports claiming that Obama faced a 400 percent increase in death threats were incorrect. "I'm not sure where that number comes from," he said. The number of threats against Obama, he said, "are the same level as it has been for the last two presidents."

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/03/AR2009120301928_pf.html

[midnight]

1. I don't understand why. Obama is giving the war people a war. He is giving

wall street our tax dollars, he is giving the insurance co. a mandate for the poor to buy insurance, and the car co. cash for clunkers. Has he missed one Republican pet project. What more can he do for these people? Why does the President even bother?

[ClarkUSA]

4. Are you suggesting via your bullshit claims that Obama SHOULD have a 400% increase in death threats?

:crazy:

[Zynx]

8. Ummm... What the hell are you talking about?

[Cha]

19. The poster obviously doesn't know wtf

it's talking about.

[PBS Poll-435]

13. !

:rofl:


He has done SHIT for florists.

[NYC Liberal]

17. LOL! Yeah ok.

[Clio the Leo]

2. And that was old news...

... which is not a slam against YOU ... but against the Representative who was "shocked" to hear that when he told her yesterday.

Read the PAPERS people!

[mcablue]

3. Today it was the first time I heard it n/t

[Clio the Leo]

5. You are expected to MEMORIZE EVERY post I make...

:)

11/17/09 - "Threats Against Obama Drop to Normal Levels"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=433&topic_id=5928

[dsc]

6. actually that isn't what she asked

the 400% number was from well before that date and thus she was asking about the past, not now. What she was told is that they never were that high.

[HughMoran]

7. Not often discussed and I thought he was threatened more than past presidents

Now I am informed as well.

[Paladin]

9. Sorry, But I Don't Believe This. Not For A Moment.

Just taking into consideration the vastly increased anti-Obama hate message traffic on the Internet, the return of the right-wing militia movement, the Teabaggers, out-of-control conservative talk shows, and the appearance of openly-armed intimidation goons near Obama functions, it is logically absurd to assume that Obama's threat level matches that of prior presidents. I can see where the Secret Service director would like to keep a lid on this, but that doesn't render his statement true.......

[EffieBlack]

10. So, the Director of the Secret Service committed perjury?

I don't think it is "logically absurd" that the thread level matches that of prior presidents since you nor I nor most other members of the public have absolutely no idea what the threat level of this or any other president is or was. One of the key differences is that the threats against Obama are getting more coverage than threats against previous presidents. But that does not mean that the threat level is necessarily higher.

I have no reason to think that the Director of the Secret Service lied about this. If this is something he wanted to "keep a lid on," I'm sure that this would have been worked out in advance with the Committee so that this question would not have come up in open session.

The only source I am aware of for the 400% number was Ron Kessler in his book on the Secret Service - and that was attributed to unnamed sources who were identified only as former agents, etc. The book is full of innuendo and unsourced allegations and, in my view, while interesting, is not particularly reliable in every aspect. Unfortunately, the media and the blogosphere took off and ran with this number without making any effort to verify it - had they done so, people might not have been so surprised the other day when the Director debunked it.

[Paladin]

11. I Stand By My Comments. (n/t)

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

12. One does not usually logically deduce the numbers in the face of hard data

The secret service keeps track of threats received by the president... emails, letters, phone calls.

The number of such threats may be surprisingly low, in the context of our logical expectations.

Your suspicion might be a reason to view the secret services version of things with greater skepticism but it hardly rises to a compelling reason to dismiss their assertion.

If the secret service was making a value judgment then we could argue about the factors, but if they say that numerically and apples-to-apples there has not been an increase of threats then that's what it is or else they are lying.

It is worth remembering that Obama replaced THE MOST UNPOPULAR PRESIDENT IN HISTORY.

And before that was AN INCREDIBLY IRRATIONALLY HATED PRESIDENT WHO WAS IMPEACHED.

So maybe the base-line is high.

[Tippy]

16. It is worth remembering that Obama replaced THE MOST UNPOPULAR PRESIDENT IN HISTORY.

True enough...If the SS knew...they wouldn't tell...that would give the HATERS a motive for taking more guns to places they have never been allowed before...Fox and Rush talk about it to encourage more of it...

[Paladin]

21. I Stand By My Comments. (n/t)

[HopeOverFear]

14. I don't believe it either.

[Tippy]

15. A conservative commentator......Who works for "NEWSMAX"

Wrote a book claiming death threats were up 400%.....I wouldn't put much stock in what this guy said, he is after all selling a book....And we all know how the Teabaggers love to read...That said If Rep Holmes wanted to ask a question...I would have found it most interesting to know the exact number of Congress critters and their names, who have expressed sentiments of HATE to-wards our President....Newsmax/Fox not much difference.

[NYC Liberal]

18. Maybe the NUMBER of threats is at the same level.

But what kinds of threats?

Remember all those people who were arrested for their anti-war and anti-Bush t-shirts during Bush's reign? Did they count those count as "threats"?

[LiberalFighter]

20. Has the Secret Service requested addtional funding for the threats?

I think that would provide a gauge as to whether there is or is not a 400% increase.