East Bay Congressman susses out identity of man threatening him on social media

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) questions Ambassador Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a former official at the National Security Council, as they testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill November 19, 2019 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) questions Ambassador Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a former official at the National Security Council, as they testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill November 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. Photo credit Jacquelyn Martin - Pool/Getty Images

Rep. Eric Swalwell, who represents parts of Contra Costa County and Alameda County published an exchange on Twitter on Thursday with a man who threatened to harm him on Instagram.

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Swalwell posted a lengthy Twitter thread with screenshots of exchange, saying that he'd first contacted Twitter for help in identifying the man who told him he "should be shot," and when the social media company couldn't, drew out personal information about the man himself in the conversation.

In the conversation, the man revealed details about himself, including that he was a Canadian construction contractor named Jeremy Marshall.

He began by direct messaging Swalwell, "Traitor u should be shot" and "Traitor hopefully u get hung one day."

Swalwell responded cordially, and began a dialogue with the man, in which he explained that he'd been radicalized by right-leaning media personalities, like Tucker Carlson.

"Bottom-line: the lies from Tucker and others are radicalizing people across not just America but the world," Swalwell tweeted in the thread. "Tucker & Co. know this. And that’s why they tell their lies. They want to incite the mob."

After some time, Marshall apologized for his initial incendiary comments, according to the screenshots of the conversation.

"I'm actually sorry for what I've said ur more personable then I could have imagined," Marshall wrote, according to a screenshot.

Swalwell finished the thread by asking people not to harass Marshall for his actions after Marshall told Swalwell he was getting a lot of negative attention. "Let the law/Instagram hold him accountable," he tweeted.

Swalwell's office did not respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment at the time of publication.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Jacquelyn Martin - Pool/Getty Images