LAWLESSNESS

Feds Decline to Help U.S. Attorney Deluged With Right-Wing Death Threats

Rachel Rollins hasn’t even been sworn in yet.

The first Black woman confirmed to a U.S. attorney post in Massachusetts has been deluged with death threats after Republicans called her “unhinged” and right-wing outlets dredged up old footage of her berating a reporter. But federal marshals said they can’t help, refusing her request for a protective detail, the Boston Globe reports. Rachael Rollins, the new attorney who hasn’t even been sworn in, turned over emails to the Marshals Service that contained threats on her life, including one that affirmed: “you’ll probably die.” The agency declined to comment on the matter but said it actively protects about 40,000 federal employees.

Rollins would not have been the first person to seek out federal protection due to threats. Ex-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was given all-day protection following threats from protestors in 2017. Republicans opposed Rollins’ nomination, with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) calling her an “unhinged personality [with a] pro-crime record” because she has previously refused to prosecute some minor offenses.