US Senator Dick Durbin says a southern Illinois woman facing federal charges for harassing both he and fellow Senator Tammy Duckworth went “way over the line.”
Carterveille resident Jura Perkins faces one felony count of repeated harassing communications.
Federal prosecutors allege that over a five month period, Perkins made over 200 phone calls to the offices of Durbin and Duckworth, leaving vulgarity filled voicemails and accusing the two senators of being communists.
In one message directed at Durbin, Perkins says “I would be very happy if you died today.”
In a radio interview Thursday with WJPF-AM, Durbin said disagreements are part of government, but Perkins went too far. “People can call my office and disagree with me, that’s part of our government. But when they get down to verbal threats and abusive language to my staff and others, it reached a point where we said we can’t ignore this.”
Authorities say Perkins showed up at Durbin’s Carbondale office in August. They say she displayed erratic behavior and attempted to enter the building.
According to Durbin, this isn’t the first time this year that someone has crossed the line when expressing their political differences. “I was in Phoenix and went into the Ambassadors Club there between flights a few weeks ago. A fellow recognized me and got so verbally abusive that the security had to remove him. And I thought to myself ‘I’ve never seen that before.’ I mean folks can disagree with me, that’s part of what we do in this country. But when it gets over that line and reaches the point where it becomes threatening, particularly physically threatening, that really is too much.”
If convicted, Jura Perkins could face two years behind bars. A competency hearing has been set for January 3, 2019.
The full interview can be heard here.