A Texas man, ranting on social media concerning the congressional response to the coronavirus outbreak, has been charged with making dying threats to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and different Democrats, federal prosecutors introduced on Thursday.
Gavin Weslee Blake Perry, 27, of Wichita Falls, Texas, wrote on his private Fb web page on Monday that Ms. Pelosi was a part of a satanic cult and that she and different Democrats ought to be killed, the authorities stated.
The posts had been nonetheless on-line as of Thursday evening.
Prosecutors stated that Mr. Perry wrote, “If youre a dem or aside of the institution within the democrats facet I view you as a legal and a terrorist and I counsel everybody to Go SOS and use stay rounds.”
The submit, which used an abbreviation for “shoot on sight,” appeared beneath a screenshot of two tweets by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic chief, that had been crucial of President Trump’s dealing with of the well being emergency.
“Shoot to kill,” Mr. Perry wrote, in response to prosecutors. “This can be a revolution.”
Mr. Perry was charged with transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce and faces as much as 5 years in jail.
Mr. Perry, who was arrested on Wednesday and stays in custody, didn’t have a lawyer as of Thursday evening, in response to court docket data. He made an preliminary look in United States District Courtroom in Northern Texas on Thursday through videoconference.
His alleged screed got here as Congress and the Trump administration had been negotiating a $2 trillion stimulus package deal to scale back the financial havoc brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate accredited the package deal on Wednesday and it has superior to the Home.
Prosecutors stated that Mr. Perry advised the regulation enforcement officers who arrested him that they had been violating his First Modification proper to free speech and that their actions had been punishable by dying.
“The Division of Justice takes the safety of our public servants significantly,” Erin Nealy Cox, the USA legal professional for Northern Texas, stated in an announcement. “People are entitled to voice their opinions — however we won’t enable them to threaten our officers’ bodily security.”
The threats towards Ms. Pelosi had been posted beneath an article from an anti-abortion web site that Mr. Perry shared on Fb.
“Nancy pelosi is aside of a santanic cult and so are rhe individuals who work closly together with her,” Mr. Perry wrote, in response to prosecutors. “Dems of the institution will probably be eliminated at any value crucial and sure meaning by dying.”
Ms. Pelosi’s workplace declined to remark, and Mr. Schumer’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Thursday evening.
This month, a Connecticut man was arrested on charges that he threatened to kill Representative Adam Schiff of California, the Democrat who was the lead impeachment manager in the House. Several other Democratic lawmakers have faced similar death threats.
Law enforcement officials said a concerned citizen tipped off local police about Mr. Perry’s posts.
“The defendant threatened the life of an elected official and that will not be tolerated,” Matthew J. DeSarno, the F.B.I. special agent in charge in Dallas, said in a statement.