Rep. Mike Gallagher hints death threats may be behind his early resignation

GREEN BAY, Wisc. (WLUK) — With just days until he leaves his seat in Congress, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., could be shedding some light on the reasoning behind his early resignation

Gallagher announced in February he would not seek re-election after he was just one of a small handful of House Republicans to oppose the impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Then, in March, he said he would be resigning his seat, effective April 19.

In one of his last acts in Congress, Gallagher -- who represents Wisconsin's 8th District -- chaired a Tuesday hearing of the House Select Committee on China concerning the country's possible connection to fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S.

After the hearing, Gallagher spoke with reporters about the hearing and the end of his time in Congress.

This is more just me wanting to prioritize being with my family," he said at the gaggle. "I signed up for the death threats and the late-night swatting, but they did not. And for a young family, I would say this job is really hard.

WLUK reached out to Gallagher's office about his comments on death threats and late-night swatting calls. It is still unclear if any specific incident led to his early resignation.

However, WLUK did confirm through the Brown County Sheriff's Office -- which patrols Allouez, where Gallagher lives -- a case number was assigned late last year to a swatting incident related to the congressman.

The sheriff's office said it reached out to U.S. Capitol Police about the incident. In January, the investigation was handed over to federal authorities, including Capitol Police, the FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service.

A spokeswoman for the FBI in Milwaukee tells WLUK that the Capitol Police is leading the investigation.

In a statement to WLUK, Capitol Police said,

Anytime a Member of Congress is the victim of a 'swatting' incident, we work closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners. To protect the ongoing investigations and to minimize the risk of copy-cats, we cannot provide more details at this time.

Gallagher's last day in office is Friday. He still has not confirmed his post-Congress plans, but he told reporters he and his family plan to stay in the Green Bay area. He is one of three Republican committee chairs in the House resigning this year.