The Hill News

The threat level to members of Congress has reached a new level, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) said.

In a wide-ranging interview with Christiane Amanpour of NBC's "Nightline" set to air Friday night, Kennedy, who decided not to seek reelection in 2009, said that some members of Congress had been receiving extra security for years now, unbeknownst to most of the public.

"Some of my colleagues â€" people don't know about it â€" were getting 'round-the-clock protection for some time," he said. "What it represented to me was a change in just the environment."

Since the Arizona shooting last Saturday, in which Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was severely injured, some have questioned whether members of Congress should be provided extra protection at public events. Currently, most members of Congress do not receive Secret Service protection at such events.

After the shooting the FBI briefed members of Congress as well as the! ir staffs and families on ways to ensure security at public events.

In the interview, Kennedy also said that today's political rhetoric has reached a new, "irresponsible" level.

"We've lived in an environment that sanctioned pretty heated rhetoric," he explained. "That's really bordering on irresponsible in how much it condones violence and the dehumanization of our political leaders."

Kennedy was succeeded by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.).

Since the shooting, Republicans and Democrats alike have announced plans to propose legislation to improve safety at public events. Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) said he will introduce a bill banning weapons within 1,000 feet of members of Congress, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) has written a bill that would outlaw the extended bullet magazine the shooter used in Arizona.