Last weekend, over the New Year’s holiday, several Democratic members of Congress were alarmed to discover that their personal phone numbers had been leaked. First one, then dozens, then hundreds of text messages from pro-Palestinian activists inundated their inboxes, listing five policy demands, chief among them a ceasefire, the conclusion of U.S. aid to Israel, and “an end to the genocide.”
There are few privacy violations more terrifying for a member of Congress than having their personal coordinates shared with anyone, let alone hundreds—if not thousands—of people, particularly zealous activists. In fact, despite the reality that many of these Democratic members were enjoying their holidays in their home districts, obtrusive lobbying tactics caused such an uproar about their personal safety that the Sergeant at Arms, who oversees Capitol Hill law enforcement, had one of the busiest phone lines in D.C. over the past week.
