GOP Rep. Who Backed Impeachment Is Purchasing Body Armor Amid Death Threats

Members of the National Guard take a rest in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 13, 2021, ahead of an expected House vote impeaching US President Donald Trump. - The Democrat-controlled US House... Members of the National Guard take a rest in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 13, 2021, ahead of an expected House vote impeaching US President Donald Trump. - The Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives on Wednesday opened debate on a historic second impeachment of President Donald Trump over his supporters' attack of the Capitol that left five dead.Lawmakers in the lower chamber are expected to vote for impeachment around 3:00 pm (2000 GMT) -- marking the formal opening of proceedings against Trump. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) said on Thursday that he has purchased body armor and has been altering his routine amid concerns that his life could be threatened, especially after he joined a group of nine other House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump for inciting an insurrection.

“I have colleagues who are now traveling with armed escorts out of the fear for their safety,” Meijer said during an MSNBC interview on Thursday morning. He added that he has altered routines and is among a group of lawmakers who are “working to get body armor.” 

“It’s sad that we have to get to that point. But our expectation is that someone may try to kill us,” the Republican lawmaker said, later adding that tensions on Capitol Hill created an atmosphere of not knowing “what will happen next.”

“We’re obviously trying to keep a very low profile,” Meijer said. “We have to account for every scenario.”

The moves to double down on his own safety, as the nation’s capital braces for further potential violence, comes as Meijer voted to impeach the President on Wednesday in the wake of the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol that Trump has been criticized for inflaming.

“If we’re heal going to heal the wounds, we can’t paper over it, we can’t just move on with false calls for unity,” Meijer said, in comments that appeared to criticize efforts by some congressional Republicans to avoid holding Trump or themselves responsible for fueling the Jan. 6 attack.

We need to have accountability  for what happened, we need to hold people responsible and then we can move to put this past us,” he added. 

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