East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell has for more than a year offered near daily jeers and taunts toward President Donald Trump to the delight of his Democratic followers.

He may have gone to the well one too many times on Wednesday morning when Swalwell posted a tweet regarding the ongoing Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh that appeared to minimize the potential threat of violence against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).

The early morning tweet by Swalwell included a story by The Hill that quotes Collins, one of two female Republican senators could be the deciding vote for Kavanaugh to join the Supreme Court, as saying her office has received a number of “pretty ugly” messages from the public.

Additionally, Collins and other Senate Republicans are facing pressure to hold off from confirming Kavanaugh until an investigation is made into claims by a Northern California professor who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school.

Swalwell’s since deleted tweets read, “Boo hoo hoo. You’re a senator who police will protect. A sexual assault victim can’t sleep in her tonight because of threats. Where are you sleeping? She’s on her own while you and you @SenateGOP colleagues try to rush her through a hearing.”

When called out by CNN anchor Jake Tapper, Swalwell pulled down the tweet from his feed and issued an apology.

Within the last two weeks, Swalwell dealt with another instance of assault after Rudy Peters, his Republican opponent this November in the 15th Congressional District, was attacked in Castro Valley by a man who allegedly brandished a switchblade at the candidate. The suspect was later arrested and charged with a felony and misdemeanor.

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