Washington (CNN) - Days after his address was posted online by a Virginia Tea Party activist, the FBI and local law enforcement officials are investigating a "suspicious incident" at the home of Rep. Tom Perriello's brother.
A line to the propane tank on his brother's gas grill had been "severed," an aide to the Democratic congressman told CNN.
"It was enough that he could smell the gas," the aide said.
The Albemarle County Fire Marshal's office confirmed they are investigating the incident - which took place in Ivy, Virginia - along with the FBI.
"While officials are not willing to characterize the exact nature of the incident because of the ongoing investigation, it did not involve an immediate threat to occupants of the residence," Lee Catlin, Community Relations Director for the Fire Marshal, told CNN. "However officials are taking the incident very seriously and conducting a vigorous investigation. Additional details will be released as the investigation continues."
Catlin said county officials joined the investigation late Tuesday after a request from the FBI.
Politico reported Monday that a Tea Party activist in Lynchburg, angry over Perriello's vote in favor of health care reform legislation, had posted the address of Perriello's brother online and encouraged other activists to "stop by" and weigh in on the bill. The activist had apparently meant to post the congressman's home address but mistakenly published his brother's.
Perriello, who represents Virginia's conservative-leaning 5th congressional district, encompassing central and southern parts of the state. He was narrowly elected to his first term in 2008 and is considered one of the most vulnerable House Democrats in 2010.
On Wednesday, Perriello's office issued the following statement:
“My number one priority right now is ensuring the safety of my brother’s family, and I am grateful to law enforcement for their excellent work. While it is too early to say anything definitive regarding political motivations behind this act, it’s never too early for political leaders to condemn threats of violence, particularly as threats to other Members of Congress and their children escalate. And so I ask every member of House and Senate leadership to state unequivocally tonight that it is never OK to harm or threaten elected officials and their families with anything more than political retribution. Here in America, we settle our political differences at the ballot box.”
From CNN Politics
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Eventually these right winged t-crapers are going to get someone killed. For a group that pretends to honor the Constitution, they don't seem to care much for the democracy it defends.
Let's face it, with bricks being thrown through multiple Democratic Offices over the week-end, these folks are nothing more than thugs and domestic terrorists. What else do you call someone that tries to intimidate our representatives with violence?
Sounds like the work of the American Conservative Taliban. A visit in the dark of night by unknown persons who punish your family if you do something they disapprove of. I wonder if they wore brown shirts?
This is terrorism and should be tried as such. I'm all for a protests and citizen action, but this is terrorism.
This is really disapointing. Regardless of how people will try to characterize and white-wash it. A threat was communicated.
How about investigating that buy who runs his own blogger site telling people to kill Obama. And how about those people threatening to kill the children of people who voted for the bill. I think the FBI and the secret service is falling down on the job because democrats and not republicans were theatened...remember when the secret service almost break their back running to a school and taking a KID not a teen ager in to custody , without the parent present just because he had a TShirt on saying he thought bush was a terrorist. Oh golly oh gee they really know what kind of suspects to harrass don't they. some big bad guy they run away from but a kid ...oh oh johnny on the spot. I think we should clean house at the secret service organization if they aren't going to do the job they were hired for.
Its official, Republicans have set Our country back to the 1960's. Racist Hateful Bigots, and you call yourself christians?
Crazy wingnuts. The FBI should be dispatched to stop these terrorists.
And so it begins. These people are insane, my way or die. Even Bush just called you unpatriotic if you disagreed with him.
The Tea party members are gone to kill someone and the gop will pay the price
You see this America? The kind of hate and ignorance the Teabaggers represent? When someone finally gets killed, the Republicans are going to have HELL to pay for it and there will be nothing they can do to spin their way out of it either. Keep it up rabid teabagging dogs, you're only helping us Democrats.
these are some crazy as republithugs
Domestic terrorists are now our biggest concern in this country.
As an indepent voter, Although I can not agree with the process of the health care bill but there is no way in hades in which I could vote for a repub or tea party member....They are far too radical!!!!
Now you tell me that the tea party movement does not have a violent agenda. CNN you should be putting out a statement about the horrible acts these people are carrying out and denouncing them, unless you agree with them. These people are a threat to our country. They are not patriotic. They should not be making the news at all. They need to be ignored. You, S. Palin, J. McCain, Boehner, McConnell, M. Steele and the rest of the republican followers have divided this country more with your lies and rhetoric. It is really shameful how the media is handling this. You will not be satisfied until innocent people get hurt. Please try to put a stop to this nonsense. Don't condone it.
Tea Baggers showing their true colors; nice job, you insurrectionist wannabes. You'll be the Dems' biggest allies in keeping their jobs on Capitol Hill.
How are "Tea Party" activists not labeled as terrorists by now?
If true, the idiotic Tea baggers can't even terrorize people correctly. They are truly a lost cause, although them interjecting their "ideas" is certainly of no help the other republicans
Hey Discovery Channel this is what the quitter and that militian nut from AL, vanderboegh, are filling people's minds with.
Way to go. First it was brick throwing and harming representatives' children, now this.
Anyone going to jail? Starting with the quitter and the minlitia nut? And if not why not? Where's the FBI when you need them!!!!!
This is why most rational Americans believe these people are NUTS spurred on by the likes of Hannity, Beck, Limbaugh et al.
I thought we had come further in this nation but guess I was wrong. AND where are the rational members of the GOP demanding these tatics stop. NOWHERE TO BE FOUND! How surprising.
Enough is enough.
Republicans have not only lost the health care reform battle, but they have also lost all sense of civility and decorum.
The teabaggers have been egged on by the likes of Cantor, DeMint, Pence, Cantor, et al. And now that it's getting overly heated, they walk away as if they had no hand in fueling the fires. They are pathetic.
I'm all for opposition, but when you're fueling violence with your words, your physical support, and your failure to criticize the horrendous comments and signage, you are complicit. Debate and discuss like adults, violence is no answer for intelligent adults.
The republican legislators have created this Frankenstein and have fueled the rage. Now it's time to be accountable for your actions before someone is seriously injured.
Republicans, you seriously think you'll regain the majority by supporting and/or facillitating these type of antics? Good luck with that.
Other than the deranged members of the Tea Party itself, is there anyone out there that doesn't:
1. See this near-all white mob as stealthly advocating voilence hatred, and nationalism? and:
2. See that Ken Cuccenilli (Att. Gen of Virginia) is a shadow member of the Tea Party..
This whole situation is getting dangerous. Windows with bricks thrown through them at Democratic Headquarters. Our Representative Giffords had her headquarters windows broken. That idiot ex-militia guy, goading people to commit acts of vandalism by throwing bricks through the windows of every Democrat in the country and stating they would be using guns next to make their point. As far as I'm concerned, their point has been made they are criminals and should be treated as such.
Teabaggers will be teabaggers.
Once again we see the Republican Party as a group of thugs. If they don't get their way, they spit on you, they call you racist names, they throw bricks and vandalize Congressional offices, they make real attacks on Democratic members of Congress and some threats made on Democrats today were taken so seriously, they have had to be assigned protective details.
How shameful of the Party of Hate, Lies, and Violence! Republican Senators are on the Senate floor telling the most ridiculous lies you have ever heard and introducing the most absurd and "stunt" amendments to hold up the reconciliation vote. They are making total fools of themselves and showing Americans in a live format what a group of lying, hypocritical, obstructionists who hate working families they are.
The Republican Party needs to be classifed as an official FBI "hate group" and its leaders and members held accountable for the threats, racism and violence they are promoting, whipping up, and refusing to denounce. They are the KLAN without the hoods. Their arrogance is so great – they gladly and openly speak their hate, lies, and racist views.
Wake up America – we need to remove these dishonorable and despicable anti-Americans from office.Republicans are dangerous to our country, to our government, to our true decent members of Congress, and to anyone else who defies them.
No more GOP- haven't we had enough of their lies and hate this year? They have done NOTHING for the nation or working families all year. Now they want to kill more Americans by siding with the abusive insurance companies against us. What a group of traitors!
The level of hate speech is truely frightening. Will someone remind the FCC what their job is supposed to be?