According to reports, a man who was one of the January 6th insurrectionists has been arrested for allegedly making terroristic threats against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, New York, was arrested by Dutchess County police after they were informed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force (FBI-JTT), making him the first of the pardoned J6ers to be arrested for alleged political violence.
Moynihan reportedly sent messages concerning an upcoming appearance that Jeffries was set to make in New York City. The recipient was not specified, according to Reuters.
“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 text messages read, according to the complaint, which was dated Saturday (October 18).
Moynihan was one of the first wave of people who stormed the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021, after a speech by now-President Donald Trump, which falsely challenged the outcome of the 2020 presidential elections, which put former President Joe Biden in office. He was one of 1,590 people charged for their actions that day and was sentenced to 21 months in prison in February 2023. He, along with nearly all of the other insurrectionists, was pardoned by Trump on his first day in office this year.
“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,” Jeffries said in a statement. Republican House Majority Leader Mike Johnson decried the incident while appearing at the Capitol building. “Anybody who threatens to kill any political official we denounce it absolutely. We ought to have justice fall upon their head,” he said.
Moynihan remains in custody at the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of a $10,000 cash bail, $30,000 bond, or $80,000 partially secured bond, in line for a Class D felony. He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Thursday (October 23).
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