Former DOJ lawyer blames Missouri senators for inciting death threats against her
Schmitt questioned Oyer about her recommendation to commute federal death sentences and later defended that line of questioning through a spokesperson.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
This is a locally reported story originally published by the Columbia Missourian and shared by the Missouri Independent. The named speakers and attributed statements support transparency, though the article provides limited independent verification of the connection between the senators’ conduct and the threats.
- Source type — Local news publication with an identifiable reporting origin.
- Author attribution — The story identifies its original publication and names people quoted, but the author is not identified in the available article text.
- Transparency — The article attributes the competing claims to Oyer, a spokesperson, and Hawley.
- Editorial standards — The story gives both senators’ responses but offers little independent corroboration of the alleged causal link to the threats.
The article includes direct statements from Oyer and Hawley, a response on Schmitt’s behalf, and details about the hearing and clemency recommendations. It does not independently verify who sent the threats or whether the senators’ conduct prompted them.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents Oyer’s accusation and gives both senators’ defenses, including direct remarks from Hawley and a spokesperson’s statement for Schmitt. It does not include independent corroboration or a response from the people who sent the threats.
- Counterarguments presented — Both senators’ positions are represented, though Schmitt’s response is through a spokesperson.
- Source diversity — The account relies chiefly on the people directly involved in the dispute.
- Omitted context — It does not independently establish the origin of the threats or their connection to the senators’ actions.
- Loaded language — Charged phrases appear as attributed quotations rather than the article’s own characterization.
The story reports Oyer’s accusation and includes responses from both senators, without adopting either side’s claims as established fact. The focus on the threats and the senators’ conduct is inherent to the reported dispute rather than a clear partisan framing.
- Language tone — The article’s narration is largely neutral and attributes charged language to its speakers.
- Source selection — It includes Oyer’s account and statements from both senators or their representatives.
- Framing — The report centers on Oyer’s accusation, while also explaining the hearing’s subject and the senators’ responses.
Republished with credit
Republished from Columbiamissourian, with credit to the original publisher.
Not rated.
Former DOJ lawyer Elizabeth Oyer says Missouri Sens. Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley helped provoke threatening messages after questioning her at a Senate Judiciary hearing. The senators defended their focus on her recommendation to commute federal death sentences, which Oyer says Hawley misrepresented.
Oyer posted a video blaming Schmitt and Hawley for hate messages and death threats she says began after she testified at a hearing on Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination. She said Blanche had fired her after she refused to restore Mel Gibson’s firearm rights. The article shows examples of threatening emails but does not independently establish who sent them or what prompted them.
At the July 16 hearing, Schmitt questioned Oyer about recommending that President Joe Biden commute 40 federal death sentences; Biden commuted 37. Schmitt’s spokesperson defended the recommendation, while Hawley said he had presented victims’ stories and read from Oyer’s memos. Oyer accused Hawley of misrepresenting her views.
Community verdict
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SWIPE →Missouri senator who questioned Oyer at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Missouri senator who questioned Oyer and defended his conduct at the hearing
Hawley's version of this story ↗Attorney general nominee whose confirmation hearing included Oyer’s testimony
President who nominated Blanche
Former president who commuted 37 federal death sentences
Part of a bigger story
3 OUTLETSFormer DOJ lawyer Elizabeth Oyer says she received death threats after a Senate Judiciary hearing and blames Sens. Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley. Schmitt had questioned her about recommendations to commute federal death sentences; the senators defended their questioning. Left-leaning outlets foreground Oyer's allegation that the senators helped provoke the threats, while including their defenses.
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