Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor and ex-DNC chairman, received flak online over his response to a threatening note that was left on a car belonging to a New York Republican congresswoman.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, who became famous during President Trump’s impeachment hearings for taking on Rep. Adam Schiff, posted the disturbing photo on Twitter Saturday. The note appeared to be written by hand.
“Rot in Hell FASCIST PIG,” the note read. The congresswoman, who was named the honorary New York State chair for Trump’s reelection campaign, said the “vile” and “anonymous” note was left on her car while she grocery shopped with her husband.
The responses on social media varied, but the most eye-catching one came from Dean, according to the Albany Times Union.
“I don’t condone this, but ‘as ye sow so shall ye reap,’” he posted. “There is no excuse for the note writer or for you. You are a shame to your district and to a democratic United States.”
Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, called Dean’s response “shameful” and the note “completely deranged.”
Stefanik represents the 21st District in New York and is considered a rising star in the party. The 35-year-old is a Harvard graduate who serves on the House Intelligence Committee as the only Republican woman. The Associated Press pointed out that she is among only 13 Republican women in the entire House.
Trump praised Stefanik during his speech about his impeachment acquittal and noted that she has become a prolific fundraiser for the party, even outraising Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York.
She told the New York Post that she is “proudly the opposite of AOC.”