Montana Dem candidate launches demise threat-laced voicemail at GOP senator

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Freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., was focused with demise threats and different excessive insults by a left-wing metropolis commissioner candidate from Montana's capital metropolis of Helena, who referred to as his workplace a number of weeks in the past to depart her ideas concerning the Republican senator over a voicemail.

The voicemail got here in July, shortly after Sheehy voted along with his Republican colleagues to move the One Large Lovely Invoice Act, a sweeping tax and spending package deal from Republicans that angered many Democrats, together with Helena metropolis commissioner candidate Haley McKnight, following its passage.

"Hello, that is Haley McKnight. I am a constituent in Helena, Montana," McKnight began off in her voicemail, a recording of which was obtained and verified by Fox Information Digital. "I simply needed to let that you're essentially the most unbearable sort of coward and thief. You simply stripped away healthcare for 17 million People, and I hope you are actually happy with that. I hope that sooner or later you get pancreatic most cancers, and it spreads all through your physique so quick that they cannot even deal with you for it."

However the anger did not cease there. Throughout the roughly minute-long voicemail that cellphone logs reportedly present got here in on the afternoon of July 1, McKnight launches into insults about Sheehy's fertility and his youngsters, earlier than warning the senator to not "meet me on the streets."

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U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., (left) and Helena Metropolis Commissioner candidate Haley McKnight (proper). (Images from Haley for Helena and Andrew Harnik through Getty Photos)

"I hope you die on the street like a canine," McKnight continued. "Sooner or later, you are going to stay to remorse this. I hope that your youngsters by no means forgive you. I hope that you're infertile. I hope that you just handle to by no means get a boner ever once more. You're the worst piece of sh-- I've ever, ever, ever had the misfortune of … God forbid that you just ever meet me on the streets as a result of I'll make you remorse it. F--- you. I hope you die."

McKnight added that Sheehy would not "serve Montanans," however relatively simply his "personal personal pursuits."

"All that you've got performed since you have got gotten into energy is do sh-- for your self."

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McKnight, initially from North Carolina however now dwelling and dealing in Montana, owns a small enterprise referred to as Sage & Oats Buying and selling Submit, which McKnight describes as "a profitable Native American-owned present retailer" on her marketing campaign web site. She additionally runs a consulting and design enterprise referred to as Morningstar Design Ltd Co, and is the president and a board member of the Helena Younger Professionals group. She touts being the recipient of the Helena Chamber's 20 beneath 40 award.

"I'm at all times prepared to face up for what I consider and problem the established order," McKnight's "About" net web page on her marketing campaign web site reads, which lists priorities like housing for all, higher governmental transparency, elevated funding for public artwork and music, and extra accessible streets and downtown dwelling.

Montana State Capitol constructing, situated in Helena, Montana. (Photograph by: Training Photos/Common Photos Group through Getty Photos)

In an interview with a neighborhood information outlet, McKnight touts her previous volunteer work for the Obama marketing campaign and extra lately engaged on Democrat candidate Steve Held's marketing campaign for Congress. Held didn't make it out of the first.

In the meantime, public marketing campaign donation information reportedly present McKnight has donated to a number of Democratic candidates, in accordance with information reviewed by Fox Information Digital.

The Helena metropolis commissioner race, which is historically nonpartisan, is her first time working for any type of political workplace. McKnight was initially certainly one of 5 declared nonpartisan candidates earlier than she superior to the November basic election after ending third in a nonpartisan major in September.

"I am a constituent, and I used to be responding to some horrible coverage with some justified rage," McKnight informed Fox Information Digital concerning the voicemail when reached for remark. "I'd hope that if Sheehy was so rattled by my voicemail, he would have contacted me as a substitute of leaking my info to conservative information media the evening earlier than an election. It looks like an affordable shot. I am certainly one of his constituents, and , this message is nothing that I would say to my grandmother or in entrance of any youngsters, it was meant for Senator Sheehy alone."

McKnight mentioned it was "laughable" that that is how Sheehy responds to constituent voicemails.

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"I additionally would have thought that any person from the armed forces might have dealt with some robust language," McKnight added. Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL who was shot whereas deployed in Afghanistan.

Tim Sheehy, founding father of Bridger Aerospace, seen within the Bridger hangar in Bozeman, Montana, US, on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL. (Photographer: Louise Johns/Bloomberg through Getty Photos )

In the meantime, McKnight went on to say she was merely making an attempt to "convey the gravity of the state of affairs" together with her voicemail. She added that she was not desiring to threaten Sheehy together with her voicemail. McKnight additionally reportedly informed the Nationwide Evaluation she "clearly" had no intent of wounding Sheehy, reportedly telling the outlet: "I could not, I am a girl."

"I needed to drive residence the struggles that folks that I do know are going by way of due to his insurance policies. I believe folks have been sort of shocked at my specificity, however these are issues which can be affecting folks in my group," McKnight informed Fox Information Digital, including that Sheehy was spending an excessive amount of time blocking the discharge of "the Epstein information" versus understanding the struggles Montanans are going by way of.

However, when pressed on whether or not McKnight stood by her rhetoric from the voicemail, notably after public officers from either side of the aisle have referred to as for folk to show down the warmth in gentle of the spate of political violence that the US has confronted lately, she merely responded: "No touch upon that."

"I've obtained quite a few demise and rape threats since this story has been revealed," McKnight mentioned when pressed even additional. "My enterprise is being threatened in the meanwhile due to the actions of the senator," she added, in reference to Sheehy publicly sharing her voicemail with the media.

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"It is fully politically motivated," McKnight concluded. "It is an affordable shot the evening earlier than an election … the one factor left I've to say is launch the Epstein information."

Montana has no main statewide elections this yr.

Tim Sheehy prepares to debate U.S. Sen. Jon Tester on campus on the College of Montana in Missoula, Mont. Sheehy ultimately beat Tester within the subsequent election to take over his Montana Senate seat. (The Missoulian through AP)

In feedback to the Nationwide Evaluation, McKnight added that, "to see [Sheehy] throw away what Montanans want and need for his personal betterment is sufficient to make me, yeah, need to struggle him on website."

"I’ll gladly say that, as a result of I believe within the time of rising fascism, we shouldn’t be afraid to say this stuff," she added.

In the meantime, when pressed by the outlet over whether or not she thought her voicemail went too far, McKnight reportedly mentioned she did not suppose so, including that she has had buddies die of pancreatic most cancers due to an lack of ability to entry care they required. "This can be a man who’s so wealthy that he’s by no means, ever going to must take care of that drawback," McKnight reportedly mentioned.

In her feedback to Fox Information Digital, McKnight additionally recalled having a buddy die from pancreatic most cancers "as a result of he could not afford to deal with it."

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Montana Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy speaks throughout a rally for Donald Trump when he was working for president, on the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State College on August 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Photos)

McKnight, very similar to Democrat Legal professional Common candidate in Virginia, Jay Jones, who has been in scorching water for feedback about eager to homicide his political rival and his household, is an instance of heightened political rhetoric that members of Congress and different public officers have expressed concern over.

"It doesn’t matter if it’s coming from one facet or the opposite, directed at one get together or one other, or one particular person or one other. It's all unsuitable – and it makes us all much less protected," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, mentioned of political violence in September following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Shapiro has been joined by members from each events calling on others to show down the warmth amid a spate of political violence the nation has seen.

When reached for remark concerning the voicemail, Sheehy spokesman Tate Mitchell mentioned, "We hope Ms. McKnight will get the assistance she clearly wants and need her nicely."