Van Drew Responds to Alleged Death Threats From Columnist

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew released the audio of an alleged death threat Ocean City columnist John McCall, a longtime member of the New Jersey Press Association, recently left on his home phone while he was in Washington and blasted the Ocean City Sentinel for publishing columns, before and after, in which McCall insinuates Van Drew should be executed for treason, vividly describes invading and destroying his home, and graphically ponders what it would be like to sexually assault his wife over the hood of her car. “For far too long calls for violence have gone unchallenged, but today, right here in Cape May County we are drawing a line in the sand. You can come after me with loud words and threats, but if anyone, let alone a member of the press, thinks they can threaten my wife and my family they’ve got another thing coming,” Van Drew said at a news conference. He continued, “When I was asked to run for office a long time ago, I did it to make sure my neighbors always had someone looking out for them, whether I was representing them at town hall, in Trenton or now Washington. I am calling on the New Jersey Press Association and the Ocean City Sentinel to forcefully denounce and condemn the threats McCall made against me and my family, to immediately retract his hate-filled editorials, and issue a public apology to my family -- until then any and all legal options remain on the table.” Van Drew was joined by Cape May County Sheriff Bob Nolan, who underscored the seriousness of threats like these. “As sheriff, it is my sworn duty to ensure the safety of everyone who lives in, works in, or visits Cape May County,” Nolan said. “Congressman Van Drew didn’t offer himself or his family up for public service to be a target of threats or violence by anyone, let alone a newspaper columnist. The Cape May County Sheriff’s Office takes all threats seriously and political violence of any kind will not be tolerated.” (The following was provided by Van Drew's office): Background and Sources Audio of Voicemail from McCall (February 28, 2020 – 8:03 p.m.) Recording from 0:55 to 1:43:  “I would swear to your demise as a politician and I believe that you personally are a degenerate. As a member of the New Jersey Press Association, I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are deposed if not DEAD. Anything I can do to basically get you out of office, I will do. You are a TRAITOR Jeff Van Drew and you deserve the fate of all TRAITORS.” Ocean City Sentinel: Van Drew’s Nightmare … Police Come Calling (Page A8 – March 10, 2021) “Two Ocean City police officers showed up at our door last week, dispatched by Congressman Jeff Van Drew, purportedly fearing for his life. Mini-Trump’s pretense of feeling threatened so that he could further harass my family was a calculated reaction to a phone message I left on his answering machine. My act was instigated by his own countless intrusions into our home by email and phone touting the anti-American agenda of his fellow Republican extremists and the disgraced, deposed traitor Donald Trump…Now he claims to be scared shitless when the incendiary language of his mentor is turned against him…This is why police don’t like him. These we seemed to agree, are mini-Trump’s political methods, not mine, far more threatening to the welfare of American citizens then a phone call to some pissant politician…If I was a cop, I’d tell Van Drew to go hang.” “Van Drew’s mentor has said it’s cool to greet women by grabbing them between the legs. Should we test the acceptability of this remark and get the direct response of a prominent GOP female by greeting Van Drew’s wife with the Republican high-five, lifting her over the hood of her car and objectively recording her physical reaction to the tickle when she lands?” “Now mini-Trump whimpers when loyal Americans shoot back, disclose his lies, and hold him accountable for his hate-mongering treason. And as a traitor, he has forfeit his right to protection under the law. Know this V.D.: It doesn’t stop here… God save you.” Ocean City Sentinel: Hold Trump Loyalist Officials Accountable (January 13, 2021) “Accountability is all-important in politics. Like all Trump loyalists, Van Drew and DeVlieger are guilty of subverting the peaceful and equitable functioning of our government. This is not just a moral failing. This is treason. And the penalty for treason is execution. That applies to the great and the small, to presidents, congressmen and smalltown councilmen. It’s the trickle down theory of responsibility.” “Van Drew recently employed a Trumplike dismissive by saying serious, populous calls for him to resign were “silly.” Should conscientious critics take a cue from the armed Republican rioters, storm his house, smash everything, violate his family, and walk away laughing? Would that be silly?” “Joe Biden said during the presidential campaign that we are in a battle for the soul of the nation. The battle continues. As democratic defenders of the Republic, facing enemies with no respect for our electoral process or the truth, we are forced to ponder Thomas Jefferson’s grim directive that, for the good of our nation, the tree of liberty must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants and traitors.”