(../../../favicon.ico)  (../../../../am12.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/images/icon-192x192.png) (../../../../am12.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/images/icon-192x192.png) Rove Claims He Was Threatened After Saying He'd Vote Dem     (index.html)                     (oEmbed (JSON)) (https://www.mediaite.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Fmedia%2Fnews%2Fkarl-rove-tells-texas-audience-he-got-credible-threats-after-saying-hed-vote-for-a-democrat-id-like-to-meet-that-sumabtch%2F)  (oEmbed (XML)) (https://www.mediaite.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Fmedia%2Fnews%2Fkarl-rove-tells-texas-audience-he-got-credible-threats-after-saying-hed-vote-for-a-democrat-id-like-to-meet-that-sumabtch%2F&format=xml)  (../../../../am11.mediaite.com/med/cnt/plugins/seotech-tagipedia/css/related-posts.css@ver=7.1.2.css)  (https://www.mediaite.com/wp-json/)  (JSON) (https://www.mediaite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/5762634)  (RSD) (https://www.mediaite.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd)   (http://mediaite.com/a/eispz)  (http://mediaite.com/a/hehwd)   (https://am11.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/js/min/min.js?2608141810) (https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/fonts/dmserif-700.woff2?2505151140) (https://am11.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/fonts/dmserif-700i.woff2?2505151140) (https://am14.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/fonts/roboto-500.woff2?2505151451) (../../../../am11.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/css/min/crit-main.min.css@2609151457.css) (../../../../am11.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/css/min/crit-main.min.css@2609151457.css) (../../../../am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/css/min/def-main.min.css@2512171801.css) (../../../../am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/themes/m2019/css/min/def-main.min.css@2512171801.css)   (comScore)     (index.html#wrap) Skip to main content      Manage Subscription Sign in ! 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Rove participated in a question-and-answer session for the Texas Tribune Festival when he went on a rant against Republicans, including President Donald Trump , for (https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/loser-trump-demands-fox-news-get-rid-of-sloppy-rino-karl-rove/) calling him a “RINO,” or Republican In Name Only, and those who threatened him for denouncing Texas Republicans. “I look at these people and they say, well I’m a RINO. Really? Where were you would we were fighting and scrapping to build this Republican Party? Where were you?” Rove exclaimed. “You know, where were these people out there raising — in 2020, I went out and raised $13 million from people outside of Texas to help on the Texas State House races. Where were these sons of b*tches? Don’t lecture me! I run a voter registration project as a volunteer. I raise 6-, 7-, 800,000, a million dollars a year in order to do it. That has registered 220,000 new Republicans this cycle. We have registered over 800,000 new Republicans since we began in 2019. Where are these sons of b*tches?” Rove said. “They’re sitting there listening to Tucker Carlson mouth off. Or they’re tuning in to Steve Bannon . They can’t be bothered to walk the precincts, raise the money, do the work necessary. And they’re mouthing me and talking to me, and telling me I’m a RINO? To hell with them,” Rove said to audience applause. “I do want to thank them,” Rove continued. “The threats that they made in the aftermath of my saying (https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/karl-rove-trashes-bigot-republican-reportedly-says-hes-voting-for-a-democrat-for-first-time-in-30-years/) I was going to vote for John Rosenthal (D) did get me DPS parked outside my house for a week because of quote ‘credible threats’ that they won’t tell me. I’d like to find who issued those credible threats, and meet that sumab*tch in a dark alley someplace!” Rove called Rosenthal’s Republican opponent Bo French (https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/karl-rove-trashes-bigot-republican-reportedly-says-hes-voting-for-a-democrat-for-first-time-in-30-years/) a “bigot,” who was undeserving of the office of the Texas Railroad Commission. Rove said the threats “served as an incentive” (https://www.wsj.com/opinion/why-im-voting-for-a-texas-democrat-4c835d2d) to write his Wall Street Journal column, “Why I’m Voting For a Texas Democrat.” “I said, if some guy’s gonna be hearing about me making a comment and threatening me, and threatening a bunch of legislators, what the hell? In for a penny, in for a pound,” Rove said. He added that he “enjoyed” having the DPS officer around, but wouldn’t say whether one was still posted at his house. “Better than that, I got my neighbor who’s sitting in the audience here, and he looks out for me, too,” Rove said. 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