Connecticut Republican chairman calls on Democrats to condemn Election Day threat made by Killingworth town volunteer after GOP asks for volunteers for ‘Army for Trump’

Connecticut Republican Party Chairman J.R. Romano called for the removal of the volunteer Killingworth emergency management director on Wednesday after he sent a profane, threatening message to the party about election poll monitors.

Romano shared screenshots of the apparent Facebook messages from Tim Withington that included some profanity, insults and the threat that Withington would find Republican volunteers working as poll monitors on Election Day to “make their lives difficult.”

The screenshots show Withington then linked to a report by the Courant last week about Romano’s recent email call for volunteers to join the “Army for Trump” and work as a so-called poll monitor to observe voting precinct operations on Nov. 3.

Romano argued Wednesday the report and Democratic operatives commentary on social media about it incited the threat by Withington.

“The media and democrats have been whipping their supporters up over a volunteer recruitment email the Connecticut Republican Party sent out last week,” Romano said in a statement. “Democrats have created a false narrative to score political points that now has their party members making threats.”

Romano called on Democratic leaders to condemn the comments and “reconsider” his position with the town after he “failed to demonstrate the ability to protect all members of his community.”

Killingworth First Selectwoman Catherine Iino, a Democrat, called Withington’s messages unprofessional but said he had apologized both to her and Romano. Attempts to reach Withington directly were unsuccessful Wednesday evening.

“Tim Withington, Killingworth’s unpaid, volunteer Director of Emergency Management, used some intemperate language in a personal message to the chair of the Connecticut Republican Party, expressing his anger at the voter intimidation implicit in the ‘Army for Trump’ that the party says it is mobilizing to send to the polls,” Iino said. "Mr. Withington’s comments were unprofessional, and he has apologized for them to Mr. Romano and to me.

“Members of both parties are working hard in Killingworth to ensure that we have a smooth, fair, and open election,” she continued. “I’m confident that we can do that, as we always have.”

Romano said Withington has a lengthy history of sending insulting and often profane messages to the party, which GOP staff occasionally respond to, but the messages have never before risen to a level he would consider a threat. He declined to say whether the party or any Republican candidates have received other threatening or harassing messages.

This week, Democratic Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro and Jahana Hayes were both victims of threatening and hateful messages and images. Members of both parties, including both congresswomen’s Republican challengers in the upcoming election, strongly condemned both incidents.

First, racist Zoombombers interrupted Hayes' virtual Newtown town hall meeting with racial slurs and offensive music. Then Facebook and Twitter removed a gory, edited image that appeared to depict the Christopher Columbus statue that used to stand in New Haven’s Wooster Square holding the decapitated head of DeLauro.

Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com.

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