WATERBURY, Conn. – In response to stories by both The Connecticut Mirror (“Hayes has ‘heightened sense’ about security concerns”) and Republican-American (“U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes claims to have received racist communications since taking office”), United States Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) released the following statement regarding ongoing speculation about threats against her office:
“I am appalled at the continuous attempts by journalists to drive this narrative that I am using race as a dividing card. This is clickbait journalism at its very worst – in order to drive clicks and boost advertising, these outlets are making reckless assumptions without thought for the consequences. To be clear: while my office, like all congressional offices, has received the occasional harassing email or phone call, I have not been directly threatened.”
“As the interview recordings show, in conversations with both reporters, the word ‘racist’ is never once used by me. This entire conversation on security was only a small part of a larger conversation of what the House of Representatives has done for the people over the past 200-plus days in office.”
“In fact, when asked directly by one reporter if any threats had been received, I responded, ‘No, I have not received any direct threats.’ The reporter then repeated and confirmed that statement in the recap of our conversation.”
“In the second interview, I stated repeatedly that this discussion of security threats was taken out of context, which is not reflected in the article.”
“Journalists have an important role to play in our public discourse, however, they must also be cognizant of their responsibility to the truth. As the wife of a police officer, I am deeply aware of how much it corrodes our public safety when false allegations are bandied about. Going forward, I hope and pray that members of the press will strive harder to be fair and accurate, rather than focusing on clickbait.”
“In the meantime, my focus will remain where it has always been - working on behalf of the people of Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District.”
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**Listen to The Connecticut Mirror interview here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jcawxka4iuf24mt/190801%20Ana%20Radelat%20CT%20Mirror.m4a?dl=0
**Listen to the Republican-American interview here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ds4dapcsoruu3s3/190821%20REPAM%20Interview.m4a?dl=0