Michigan politicians say they face growing threats after Charlie Kirk shooting

Two Michigan Democrats say they’ve received death threats because of misleading social media posts viewed millions of times
News of the threats comes a day after two more officials say they were the target of bomb threats requiring police involvement
Threats come the same week as the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, prompting many to call for political civility

LANSING — Two Michigan lawmakers say they’ve faced death threats after what they call an out-of-context photo circulated online showing them sitting during a state House prayer for Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist, was assassinated Wednesday on a Utah university campus. As news broke, but before Kirk had died, Michigan House Republicans requested a moment of prayer in the chamber.

“I’d just like to ask for a word of prayer – for family, for health, that kind of thing,” Rep. Bradley Slagh, R-Zeeland, said before asking lawmakers to “bow with your heads for me” during Wednesday’s House session.

That’s what state Rep. Joey Andrews, D-St. Joseph, said he was doing when someone in the chamber took a photo of him and Rep. Emily Dievendorf, D-Lansing, sitting at their desks.

In a Friday interview with Bridge Michigan, Andrews said online accusations that the pair were sitting in protest are wrong.

Related:

The image in question has been shared online by several high-profile conservative influencers, including Libs of TikTok, which has 4.4 million followers and erroneously accused Andrews and Dievendorf of “refus(ing) to join other legislators in prayer for Charlie Kirk.”

Andrews said the online rhetoric has led to countless threats against him, his wife and 2-year-old daughter and caused his office to take down their social media for the time being.

“It’s hard to know what is and isn’t serious,” Andrews said, adding he’d contacted local police but was told not to share any specific messages he’d received because they are part of an active investigation. “With all these anonymous accounts floating around, we’re just being cautious.”

In a separate text message to Bridge, Dievendorf said they had not been asked to stand for the prayer but had “received threats since Wednesday afternoon. Too many to keep track of via every form of communication.”

Dievendorf detailed the threats in a Facebook post, saying that while not in agreement with Kirk’s politics, political violence must be taken seriously.

“Every life is valuable, and our response to tragedy must be rooted in that truth,” Dievendorf said.

Headshots of Emily Deivendorf and Joey Andrews. — Michigan Democratic state Reps. Emily Deivendorf of Lansing (left) and Rep. Joey Andrews of St. Joseph (right) said they’ve both received death threats following a misleading social media post tied to the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Courtesy of Michigan House Democrats)

A spokesperson for Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, a Detroit Democrat, said Thursday police had cleared a “credible bomb threat” from his home, which he shares with his wife and three children.

State Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, said Friday that he too had been the victim of a bomb threat on Thursday.

In a statement, Moss said police responded to a “detailed and specific message threatening me at my home with a bomb” on Thursday “to ensure there was no immediate danger.”

“We must reject this as the norm in our politics, especially after recent acts of political violence have claimed lives in Minnesota and Utah,” Moss said, referencing Kirk and the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses in June.

Authorities said at the time of the Minnesota shooting that the suspect had prepared a list of other potential targets that included officials in Michigan and four other Midwestern states.

In describing the bomb threat against his home on Thursday, Gilchrist said we “cannot tolerate political violence.”

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, a Porter Township Republican who like Gilchrist is a 2026 candidate for governor, responded to the threat against Gilchrist by saying “violence is not the answer.”

Former Michigan Republican Party Co-chair Meshawn Maddock responded by pointing to what she described as an online threat directed at her and fellow defendants cleared this week in a so-called false electors case.

“Trump Electors threatened all the time,” Maddock posted on X.

Shanon Banner, communications and outreach director for the Michigan State Police, declined to provide any additional information about recent threats made against Gilchrist or other Michigan officials.