Summary
- Christopher Moynihan, pardoned by Trump for Jan. 6 riot, arrested.
- Charged with threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
- FBI received tip about Moynihan’s lethal threat made in October.
New York State Police reported that 34-year-old Christopher Moynihan had been detained on a felony count of making terroristic threats.
Authorities claim that on October 18, state police received a notification from the FBI's joint terrorism taskforce that Moynihan, of Clinton, New York, "had made threats to kill a member of Congress."
Moynihan was "arrested and arraigned" in Clinton court following what the police called a "thorough investigation."
In their first statement on Sunday, the police did not publicly identify the member of Congress. However, Jeffries expressed his gratitude to state and federal law enforcement for their prompt and quick action in apprehending the dangerous guy who made a serious death threat against him with every intention of carrying it out in a statement released on Tuesday.
CBS News and Reuters, citing court documents they have obtained related to the case, report that Moynihan allegedly sent text messages saying that he planned to “eliminate” Jeffries, who represents New York’s eighth congressional district, at a New York City event on Monday.
Jeffries on Monday spoke at the Economic Club of New York.
Reuters reported that the complaint states that Moynihan sent text messages on Friday that read:
“Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live … Even if I am hated he must be eliminated … I will kill him for the future.”
The complaint also reportedly states that the text messages were placed in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant.
Following his arrest, Moynihan was anticipated to appear in court on Thursday.
In lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or a $80,000 incompletely secured bond, he was ordered to be held.
Jeffries, the House minority leader, noted in his statement on Tuesday that Moynihan was one of the further than 1,500 actors in the January 6 attack who entered mercy from Trump soon after the launch of his alternate term in January.
At least eleven pardoned Capitol attackers were re-arrested, charged, or punished for unrelated offenses, according to a June study from the progressive federal government watchdog and non-profit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew).
“Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country,”
Jeffries said.
“Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned.”
Court documents and news adverts state that Moynihan in August 2022 was found guilty in the Capitol attack of a felony charge of inhibition of a sanctioned procedure, which was the legislative instrument of Joe Biden’s palm over Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Also, Moynihan entered a plea to five associated offenses.
How are House Republicans and Democrats responding to the trouble?
House Democrats have condemned the trouble against Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, emphasizing their commitment to stand against intimidation and violence. Jeffries himself thanked law enforcement for the arrest of the individual responsible and pledged to continue fighting for justice.
On the Democratic side, responses have been more restrained and conservative. While some Democratic leaders have expressed support for law enforcement conduct, numerous have concentrated on broader political battles similar to the government arrest and have largely avoided directly addressing trouble against Popular leaders like Jeffries.
Some Republicans have framed political dissensions in terms of policy controversies and have been reticent to engage with narratives around raising political violence.