Republican lawmakers may toe the party line in public, but in private, some reportedly fear retribution if they break with President Donald Trump — including some who are "scared s---less about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff."
Vanity Fair published an eyebrow-raising report Wednesday that Republicans in both chambers of Congress know it's not just their political survival that is at stake.
“They’re scared s---less about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff,” a former member of Trump’s first administration told the outlet.
The Gestapo was the brutal and feared official secret police of Nazi Germany created in 1933.
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Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has told people the FBI warned him of "credible death threats" when he publicly mulled whether to confirm former Fox News weekend co-host Pete Hesgeth for Pentagon chief, a source with knowledge of the event told the outlet. Tillis eventually became one of 50 senators who voted to confirm Hegseth, with the tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President J.D. Vance.
Tillis reportedly said people who want to better understand Trump ought to read the book, "Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work." He denied recommending the book in that capacity.
Trump has repeatedly promoted and incited political violence, including at his rallies — telling supporters to "knock the crap out of" protesters — and praising a congressman who physically attacked a reporter, saying "Any guy that can do a body slam, he is my type."
Additionally, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol followed Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and refusal to accept the election results.