A New York man who was pardoned for crimes committed during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has now pleaded guilty to a charge for threatening to kill U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to the Dutchess County district attorney.
According to a complaint, Christopher Moynihan, sent text messages on Oct. 17, 2025, saying “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live” and “Even if I am heated he must be eliminated,” followed by “I will kill him for the future.”
Jeffries is the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives and represents New York’s 8th Congressional District.
Moynihan, of the Hudson Valley, was charged in October and on Friday agreed to three years probation for a disdemeanor harassment charge and will be sentenced in April.
“Threats against elected officials are not political speech, they are criminal acts that strike at the heart of public safety and our democratic system. My office treats these cases with the utmost seriousness because words intended to intimidate or terrorize can have real-world consequences,” Dutchess County DA Anthony Parisi said in a statement. “After a careful and thorough review of the law and the evidence, and in close coordination with the United States Attorney’s Office, the New York State Police, the FBI, the United States Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., and the New York City Police Department, we were able to reach a disposition that ensures accountability and public safety. I want to thank Congressman Jeffries for his cooperation throughout this matter, as well as our law enforcement partners collective and tireless efforts in bringing this matter to a responsible conclusion.”
Moynihan was found guilty in 2022 of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, and pleaded guilty to five related misdemeanor charges, according to records from the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington. He was sentenced in 2023 to 21 months in prison. The records state he was among rioters who broke through the security permitter at the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was certifying the election of Joe Biden. Records also say Moynihan entered the Senate chamber and paged through a notebook on top of a senator’s desk, taking out papers, and taking pictures with his cellphone. While looking through the papers, he said, “There’s gotta be something in here we can f—- use against these —-bags.”
This image from Senate Television shows Christopher Moynihan sitting in the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (Senate Television via AP)
Moynihan was fully pardoned by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, according to Dutchess County clerk documents.