[ad_1]
Jeffries identified himself as the lawmaker in the complaint on Tuesday. Speaking to Chris Hayes of MSNBC, Jeffries said his brother received the message just as members were evacuated from the Capitol as armed rioters stormed the building to stop certification of the President’s election Joe Biden. President Donald Trump was impeached the following week for inciting insurgency, and several of the rioters have publicly stated that they were motivated to storm Capitol Hill because of Trump.
Trump had for months cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election, presenting conspiracy theories and lies that Democrats had cheated him of victory. Biden won both the popular vote and the electoral college, and election officials from both parties across the country said there was no evidence of widespread irregularities.
“What was scary about the message that was received was that this person said, ‘Stop lying. Biden didn’t win. He won’t be president, ”Jeffries told Hayes on Tuesday. “And so he was radicalized by the big lie that Donald Trump told and which was supported by so many Republicans in the House and the Senate.”
A New York-based relative of an unidentified reporter also received a threatening message from Lemke, according to the complaint.
“The words put you and your family at risk,” the post said, according to the complaint. “We are nearby armed and ready. Thousands of us are law enforcement, military, etc. active / retired. ”
Trump has repeatedly called reporters “enemies of the people,” and several reporters on Capitol Hill during the attack said they were assaulted and their equipment destroyed.
Lemke was arrested in Bay Point, Calif., According to a press release from the Department of Justice. He was charged with making threatening interstate communications, punishable by five years in prison.
“Rather than disagree peacefully, Lemke reportedly threatened to harm the families of these individuals, demanding that they retract,” US Manhattan lawyer Audrey Strauss said in the statement. “The electoral process is the essential mechanism by which our democracy works. While in any election it is inevitable that some will be disappointed with the outcome, threats of violence cannot and will not be tolerated.
Lemke claimed in his posts and on social media to be a former law enforcement officer or a veteran, according to the complaint. His Facebook profile and phone records indicated he was a former member of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, according to the complaint. But the ministry issued a statement Tuesday denying any connection with Lemke.
“There is very false information on social media that a Robert Lemke worked for the Alameda County Sheriff,” the department said. “This information has been found to be false by the FBI and our agency.”
[ad_2]
Source link