A New York man who was pardoned for crimes committed during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has been charged with threatening to kill U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Police said Tuesday.
According to a felony complaint, Christopher Moynihan, 34, sent text messages on Oct. 17 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 was charged with making a terroristic threat, a class D felony.
He was arraigned on Sunday in the town of Clinton Court, in Dutchess County, and bail was set in the amount of $10,000 cash, $20,000 secured bond and $30,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in court on Thursday.
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.”
Moynihan was fully pardoned by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, according to Dutchess County clerk documents.
“Although my office was not contacted during the investigative stage of this matter, we are now reviewing the case for legal and factual sufficiency,” Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi told Spectrum News. “Threats made against elected officials and members of the public will not be tolerated. We will pursue every available investigative and prosecutorial tool to hold responsible parties accountable, protect potential victims, and deter future violence. Public safety is our highest priority; anyone who makes threats intended to intimidate, harm, or influence the government or its leaders will face swift and decisive action.”