Did Michele Bachmann’s McCarthyism Inspire Death Threats Against Huma Abedin?

Mere days after the absurd allegations made against her by a group of Members of Congress led by Michele Bachmann, State Department aide Huma Abedin is receiving police protection due to threats of an unspecified, but obviously dangerous, nature:

Police and federal officials have placed security around ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, after a New Jersey man threatened her, law-enforcement sources said.

An individual, described as a Muslim man, made the unspecified threat after Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) last week claimed Abedin’s family had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and asked for a probe to see if she is helping the Islamist organization.

The man was questioned by the NYPD and the State Department and has not been charged, sources said

Notwithstanding the fact that the man is a Muslim, I can’t help but think that the timing is far from being coincidental.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Dan Collins says:

    Did you read Bachmann’s rather well reasoned letter to Ellison on the subject, and if not, why not?

  2. @Dan Collins:

    Yea I read it. And her letter to the State Department IG. All of it unsupported, baseless allegations, combined with character assassination of an American citizen serving her country.

  3. al-Ameda says:

    Right now we do not know.

    This is interesting, it’s from FoxNews, by Ed Rollins:

    I have been a practitioner of tough politics for many decades. There is little that amazes me and even less that shocks me. I have to say that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s outrageous and false charges against a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Huma Abedin reaches that threshold.

    Her unsubstantiated charge against Abedin, a widely respected top aide to Secretary Hillary Clinton, accusing her of some sort of far-fetched connection to the Muslim brotherhood, is extreme and dishonest.

    Having worked for Congressman Bachman’s campaign for president, I am fully aware that she sometimes has difficulty with her facts, but this is downright vicious and reaches the late Senator Joe McCarthy level.

  4. john personna says:

    Would this be an example of politics motivating or triggering a nut?

  5. Franklin says:

    If the threat has come from a Muslim man, I’d guess it’s because he just found out a Muslim woman married a Jew. If my wild-ass guess is correct, then yes it’s “because” of Bachmann’s letter but no, the reason is unrelated.

  6. legion says:

    The answer is: Yes. I realize I don’t have any proof, but I also don’t have any proof the sun will rise tomorrow morning. Yet I will set my alarm clock tonight anyway.

    The real question is: what will the GOP do to reign in this clearly mentally-unbalanced woman?

  7. Michelle says:

    @Dan Collins: So tired of you and your crew of Jeff G., Darleen and the rest doing everything you can to muddy the waters.

    Just stop it.

  8. Franklin says:

    @Dan Collins: Hmm, it’s rather long and contains a lot of stupid. Is this what you mean by “well reasoned”?

  9. Ron Beasley says:

    Hopefully the people of MN will realize what an embarrasment she is and show her the door in November.I have no such hope for her partner in lunacy, Louie Gohmert, as I’m sure he represents the attitudes of his constituents in TX1.

  10. Gustopher says:

    Yes. No one knew who this woman was a week ago, what other likely explanation is there?

    This is another edition of simple answers to simple questions, I guess.

  11. Murray says:

    @Doug Mataconis

    “Notwithstanding the fact that the man is a Muslim, I can’t help but think that the timing is far from being coincidental.”

    Or rather

    Given the fact that the man is a Muslim, I can’t help but think that the timing is completely coincidental

  12. Quinn says:

    Both sides do it!

  13. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Quinn:

    Both sides do it!

    Heh.

  14. Omar says:

    Abedin’s mother, and probably her brother as well, are well connected among various Brotherhood related orgs. Not to say that Abedin herself has said or done anything untoward, but the security apparatus probably didn’t grasp the full implications of these connections at the time of her clearance.

    http://www.andrewbostom.org/blog/2012/07/22/saleha-abedin-and-the-muslim-sisterhood/

    http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/310198/questions-about-huma-abedin-andrew-c-mccarthy

  15. Ric Roderick says:

    @Dan Collins: Dan, I recall Michele Bachmann being vilified during the debates over her comments on the dangers of Gardasil. It has been learned since that, in fact, many people died taking it and Merck has been fined 3 billion for their fraud. The traitorous media does not go back to re-investigate this accusation purely on political reasoning, even when it is admitted by the pharmaceutical company. They don’t re-investigate because they don’t know how to investigate, in the first place.

    As for our government and the ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, look at how the Arab Spring is turning out. The traitorous media reports democracy is flourishing in the Middle East, but who is in charge? It’s either the CIA-created al Qaeda, or the Muslim Brotherhood, who believe in a Caliphate. Looks like the US’s plan for world domination is coming true and Huma is doing an excellent job with Hillary. All they need to do to complete this plan is to take our guns away (UN Small Arms Treaty) so we have no defense against the criminals. It’s no coincidence the Aurora massacre just “happened” right before the treaty is to be signed, You won’t hear this from our media. We have made a deal with the devil and the Muslim Brotherhood is one of his angels.

  16. grumpy realist says:

    @Ric Roderick: It’s a (wait for it, bated breath) CONSPIRACY!!!

    Who let the squirrel food out?

  17. Ben Mcalister says:

    Doug, is it true that Huma’s Mother and brother are connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and that they both advocate Sharia law? Huma herself has been a member of the IMMA and if that is the case isn’t it the duty of Congress to ask these questions? Please get back to me if I am wrong . Thank You

  18. Ben Mcalister says:

    @Ron Beasley: Ron , apparently there is some smoke there, Huma’s Mom and brother are both active in the Muslim Brother and are advocates of Sharia Law, if that is true then MS Bachman is asking a reasonable. question

  19. mannning says:

    I ran across this paragraph recently, and do not know its accuracy. Can anyone confirm it or shoot it down?

    “Specifically, Ms. Abedeen was affiliated with the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, where she was assistant editor of the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. The journal was the IMMA’s raison d’etre. Abedin held the position of assistant editor from 1996 through 2008—from when she began working as an intern in the Clinton White House until shortly before she took her current position as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s deputy chief of staff.”