A Jan. 6 rioter who was pardoned by President Donald Trump has been charged with making terroristic threats after allegedly sending text messages that threatened to kill House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a felony complaint filed in New York state court.
Christopher Moynihan, 34, is accused of sending the messages on Friday about an appearance Mr. Jeffries was scheduled to make in New York City. The complaint, filed in Clinton, quoted the texts:
"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 said the messages placed the recipient in “reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant.”
Background and reactions
Moynihan was previously sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison on charges that included obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, after being among nearly 1,590 people charged over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. President Trump pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged in the Jan. 6 attack on his first day in office.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries thanked law enforcement for their work and criticized the pardons, saying many of those pardoned have since committed crimes. “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,” he said in a statement.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned the suspect’s actions. “Anybody who threatens to kill any political official we denounce it absolutely. We ought to have justice fall upon their head,” he said at the Capitol.
Charge and wider context
The charge against Moynihan, making a terroristic threat, is a Class D felony, the complaint states. Advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said at least ten other Jan. 6 rioters have been re-arrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes, ranging from child sexual abuse to plotting to murder FBI agents and reckless homicide while driving drunk. Moynihan appears to be the only pardoned rioter publicly known to face a charge involving a threat against an elected official since receiving a pardon.
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