U.S. Capitol Police hires prosecutors to investigate threats against lawmakers

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol Police has hired three attorneys to help investigate threats made to lawmakers and assist in prosecuting people who threaten members of Congress, a spokesman for the agency confirmed to NBC News.

The hirings are in response to an increase in the number of threats against lawmakers over the last few years, according to the USCP.

The New York Times first reported news of the hirings on Tuesday.

In 2023, the Capitol Police investigated 8,008 threat assessment cases. That was up from 7,501 cases investigated in 2022, but slightly down from the 8,613 number of cases investigated in 2020.

In 2023, only 27% of the threats reported to federal prosecutors were prosecuted, USCP confirmed. Two of the three new prosecutors were hired last year, with one hired in 2024, it said.

The other two new prosecutors are spread across the country, with one based in San Jose, Calif., and one in Tampa, Fla. All three hires will help advise the Justice Department on prosecuting suspects for threats to lawmakers but not prosecute cases themselves, the agency confirmed.

The USCP has attributed rising levels of threats against members of Congress to people's false sense of anonymity on social media. And this year, the agency expects the number of threats to continue rising, due to the upcoming election.

"With the political conventions, Member campaigns, and many issues being debated on Capitol Hill, this is going to be a very busy year for our special agents,” USCP Assistant Chief of Protective and Intelligence Operations Ashan M. Benedict said in a statement in January when the 2023 threat assessment numbers were first released.