Rebecca Falconer
A Florida man pleaded guilty Tuesday to threatening Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in July 2019, prosecutors said.
Driving the news: David Hannon, 67, of Sarasota, admitted sending the Congress member an email saying “[You’re] dead, you radical Muslim” and referring to her and other Congresswomen of color as “radical rats,” and saying he was “going to shoot the Congresswomen in the head, per a Department of Justice statement.
Details: Hannon pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a federal official, according to the DOJ.
- He sent the email after Omar and the three other Congress members held a televised press conference criticizing then-President Trump, NBC News reports.
- The Trump supporter’s plea deal “specifically repeated quotes containing curse words” from Trump “regarding social issues involving women and minorities,” NBC notes.
Flashback: Omar said in April 2019 she had received an increase in death threats after then-President Trump tweeted a spliced video featuring her remarks on the 9/11 attacks.
What they’re saying: “No one should fear violence because of who they are or what they believe,” U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg said in the Justice Department’s statement.
- “Unlawful threats against our elected officials are an assault against our democracy, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to seek justice in these cases.”
Source: axios.com