This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah Republican Party Chairman James Evans has become the target of racist and threatening calls in the aftermath of a national television interview in which he raised questions as to whether former President Bill Clinton had an illegitimate child with a prostitute.
Evans said in the wake of the threats — and in light of a suspected arson attack on a county Republican Party headquarters in North Carolina — he is notifying law enforcement, implementing new security procedures and having staff members at the Utah party headquarters in Salt Lake City work from other locations to ensure their safety.
On Friday, the day after Evans suggested the media were in cahoots with Democrat Hillary Clinton because they weren't investigating rumors of Bill Clinton's love child the way it sought out women who were allegedly assaulted by Republican nominee Donald Trump, the party headquarters received a call from a Texas area code.
In the message, which Evans played for The Salt Lake Tribune, the caller said: "You might want to tell that lying n——- James Evans that he's lucky he's not being lynched right now."
The number on the party's caller ID belongs to a dog-walking business in Houston. A man who answered the phone said he didn't know anything about any calls to the Utah party headquarters. "I wish I could help you," he said.
However, the owner of the dog-care business has posted dozens of anti-Trump messages on his Facebook feed and has violent and vulgar messages on his Twitter account.
For example, he Tweeted at Trump last December: "Can't wait for your assassination! Millions of Americans will dance with joy that your mouth is finally shut the f—- up!" Earlier that same month Tweeted to Trump: "I will dance the day you are assassinated by a Muslim! Keep talkin —-hole. Thank God you will soon be dead."
In the televised interview last week, Evans touted the claims by Danney Williams that Bill Clinton paid his mother for sex on numerous occasions and that the former president is his father. Williams has been actively pushing his story on social media and in conservative news outlets.
Evans, who is black and grew up in South Carolina, said staffers have received other hostile and threatening calls since Evans' CNN interview, but the callers were not "dumb enough" to leave a message.
The party has received angry or intimidating calls before, but "not to the degree" it has in recent days, said Evans, blaming Democrats for the hateful tactics.
"I will say that this is unfortunately very familiar to my upbringing," he said. "If you're on the opposite side of the Democrats, this is very familiar to me."
Sunday morning, the Republican Party headquarters in Orange County, N.C., was firebombed, with some flammable material thrown through the front window and "Nazi Republicans" and a swastika spray-painted nearby.
Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon that "animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning."
Clinton tweeted that "the attack on the Orange County [party headquarters] is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe."
On Monday, the publisher of The Arizona Republic wrote a piece responding to those who have called with death threats since the newspaper endorsed Clinton.
There have been attacks against campaign headquarters in Utah in the past. In 2013, someone spray-painted "No Tar Sands" on the wall of the state GOP offices. And, in 2012, someone threw rocks through the window of President Barack Obama's Utah campaign office.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke