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Update: Allah’s got video. Ditto what Allah says about Frank: “What a wretch.”

I noted in the public flogging liveblogging below that Rep. Barney Frank rather flippantly dismissed the death threats against AIG executives.

Edward Liddy read this threat, after which Frank smirked, “I am not persuaded:”

All of the people should be executed with piano wire around their neck.

I ahbor the AIG bailouts. I abhor the Hypocrites of High Indignation who enabled them.

But when someone reads a threat like that, you do not shrug your shoulders and respond, as Frank did, that “Everyone here” gets those threats.

I repeat: The AIG employees and their families are not public officials. They do not deserve to be subjects of a witch hunt.

The thug Democrats are overreaching on this, and it is going to backfire.

The Hill reports:

House Financial Service Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) wants the names of AIG employees who refuse to return at least some of their bonuses, and lawmakers appear split on the request.

“I’m now asking you to send us the names of people receiving the bonuses who are not paying them back,” Frank told AIG Chairman and CEO Edward Liddy during a Wednesday hearing.

Frank said if he did not receive the names he would move to ask his committee to vote to subpoena the names.

Liddy said that he “very much” wants to comply with Frank’s request, but said he feared for the employees’ safety.

“I would hope it doesn’t take a subpoena,” he said. “I’m just really concerned about the safety of our people.”

Liddy read from one threat: “‘All of the people should be executed with piano wire around their neck,’” he said.

Some Senate Republicans sympathized with Liddy’s concerns about potentially exposing the executives to public harm.

“My gut reaction is that there’s so much rage, I don’t want any violence taking place,” said Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). “I’ve got to be a little tempered in my response. But I do think they should either return the money or be fired.”

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said public anger should be focused instead on the Treasury Department, which knew about the bonuses. “The administration could have easily dealt with this,” Corker said.