NEW YORK -- Threats against public officials have been steadily climbing in recent years in the United States, creating new challenges for law enforcement, civil rights and the health of American democracy, reported The Associated Press (AP) on Monday.

The Capitol Police last year investigated more than double the number of threats against members of Congress as they did four years earlier, said the report.

Driven by former US President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him, threats against election workers have exploded, with one in six reporting threats against them and many seasoned election administrators leaving the job or considering it, it said.

"The threats are not simply an issue of coarsening of the national discourse. Experts warn they can be precursors of political violence," it added.