Rand Paul blamed pop star Richard Marx for a threatening package. Marx's reply was right there waiting for Stephen Colbert.

published 26 May 2021

A suspicious package containing white powder and, reportedly, a death threat arrived at Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) house on Monday. That isn't funny. Threatening anybody, much less a U.S. senator, is serious, even if tests showed that the powdery substance "is not dangerous," as the Capitol Police said Tuesday evening, and "non-toxic," as Kentucky's Warren County Sheriff's Office confirmed separately.

But Paul's response, blaming the threat on '80s pop star Richard Marx, is kind of humorous.

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"As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family," Paul tweeted Monday night. "Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this powder filled letter." Twitter said Tuesday that Marx's tweet "was in violation of our glorification of violence policy," and it was taken down.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.