Authorities are investigating a report that a man protesting health care reform at a Grand Junction rally threatened to kill U.S. Rep. John Salazar.
Salazar’s staff became concerned after discovering the suspect personally visited the congressman’s Grand Junction office Thursday with Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland and others.
“Within moments of hearing that, I called the Capitol Police’s threats division, and they have taken over,” said Salazar’s spokesman, Eric Wortman.
Capitol Police provide security for Congress. Salazar, a Democrat from Manassa, represents the 3rd District.
Grand Junction police spokeswoman Kate Porras said Friday the department is working to identify the suspect. The witness who made the report snapped a picture of the person, but did not know his name.
Rowland said she had no idea a member of her group reportedly threatened to kill Salazar and if she had, that person would not have been invited. She said she did not know by name everyone who went with her to Salazar’s office, although she recognized all of them from previous events.
The incident began Aug. 24 outside Salazar’s office, Porras said. One group was protesting a health care reform measure under consideration, and another group was protesting the protesters, she said.
“One of the pro-reform protesters reported that a man from the other group made harassing comments and threatened him,” she said. “The victim says he also heard the suspect make a comment about killing Congressman John Salazar.”
Salazar’s office was unaware of the threat until Thursday afternoon when police provided the Grand Junction office with a copy of the report and the suspect’s photo, Wortman said. That’s when staffers realized the man had been in the office earlier that day.
Rowland and others with the Western Slope Conservative Alliance stopped by Salazar’s office to invite him to a town hall meeting Thursday at Mesa State College. She said residents are frustrated that Salazar won’t host a town-hall meeting to discuss health care reform.
Wortman earlier has said Salazar is not ducking from the issue and in fact invited President Barack Obama to Grand Junction to host a town-hall meeting on reform. The event was Aug. 15.
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
