Democratic lawmakers stood Wednesday in solidarity with their colleague, Rep. Corey Paris, who was targeted for harassment and threats after a federal law enforcement agency endorsed a suggestion that he should be prosecuted for a social media post.
More than 30 lawmakers and state officials gathered in the first floor of the Legislative Office Building to support Paris, a Stamford Democrat who has endured a torrent of harassment stemming from a social media exchange last weekend.
Paris, a Black legislator, was targeted by a right wing extremist account known as Libs of Tik Tok after using Instagram to tell his constituents to “remain vigilant” in response to immigration enforcement activity in his district.
In a post on X, Libs of Tik Tok falsely accused Paris of “doxxing” immigration officials and suggested the Department of Justice should “charge him.” The official X account of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement republished the post calling for Paris’s prosecution.
“When ICE re-shared that post, it didn’t just validate misinformation; it legitimized dangerous rhetoric that put my safety at risk,” Paris said in an interview with the New York Times. “And federal agencies should not be in the business, quite frankly, of targeting elected officials for speaking up about community safety. That’s our job.”
Connecticut legislators and constitutional officers echoed that statement during Wednesday’s press conference.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff highlighted a recent series of disturbing videos from across the state showing masked men abducting residents. He cited one video in which an apparently unarmed man was tased by a masked individual in the middle of a Norwalk street. By advising constituents to be vigilant, Paris was doing his job, Duff said.
“You have a representative who is merely trying to present a message, to say, ‘Be vigilant, be careful, and be on the lookout for anything that doesn’t seem normal,’” he said. “That is not something that rises to the level of a federal agency suggesting that it should go to the Justice Department for prosecution.”
More than one speaker said the threats against their colleague were especially concerning given the assassination of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband in June.
Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, said that by putting its stamp of approval on the post targeting Paris, the immigration agency had sought to prevent the legislator from using his communication skills to benefit his community. He said the resulting harassment and threats have been difficult.
“It is a life-altering event,” Winfield said. “It makes you look at the work that you’re doing in a way that you’ve never looked at it before. And for what? Because, as was said, Corey did not do the things he’s accused of doing.”
Other officials and fellow legislators including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz came to Paris’s defense. All of them were Democrats.
Late in the press conference, a reporter noted that no Republican legislators attended the event. Bysiewicz said they would have been included.
“Our Republican colleagues were welcome,” she said.
