Florida man pleads guilty to threatening Congressman Omar

A Florida man pleaded guilty in US District Court on Tuesday to threatening to kill a Democrat. Ilhan Omar.

Under a plea agreement, David Hannon, 67, a former supporter President Donald Trumpsent an email to the Minnesota Democrats in July 2019, after Omar and three other members of Congress held a televised press conference critical of then-President Donald Trump.

Hannon pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Christopher P. Tuite to the sole charge of threatening a federal official with the intent to threaten and obstruct Omar and to retaliate against her for performing her duties. its official. This charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $250.00 fine.

Prosecutors said Hannon emailed Omar threatening violence against her and two black congressional colleagues he called “radical rats” because of Omar’s remarks during a meeting reported that it “specifically repeated quotes containing curse words from then-president Trump regarding social issues involving women and minorities,” according to the plea agreement.

“No one should be afraid of violence because of who they are or what they believe,” said US Attorney Roger Handberg for the Central District of Florida in a statement. declare Tuesday. “Illegal threats against our elected officials are an attack against our democracy and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to seek justice in these cases.”

Email with subject line of “[You’re] Die, radical Islam,” and in it Hannon wrote that he was going to shoot legislators, including Omar, in the head.

He added that Omar “better get extra security, or within a week you and three other rat radicals will be under six feet”.

“This is not a threat but a fact,” Hannon wrote, asking if OmarMuslims, “willing to die for Islam” and “willing to leave our country”.

A few days ago, Trump, who had made the group of lawmakers the target of his attacks as he campaigned for re-election, had launched a tirade on Twitter asserting that progressive congresswomen should “go back” and try to fix the “criminal contagion” they “come from” before criticizing the way the US government has handled its problems. surname.

Under the plea agreement, Omar’s staff immediately contacted federal investigators out of fear that Hannon would commit a violent act. Investigators said Hannon wrote the email from his personal account.

Hannon’s attorney, Michael Perry, has defended his client’s record since the 2019 email threat: “Apart from that one incident, there hasn’t been any word regarding any threats. that he made, no other threats, nothing at all,” he told NBC News.

Omar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Omar was sworn into office in 2019, making history as the first African refugee elected to Congress after fleeing the conflict in Somalia in 1995. Omar is also a woman of color. represented Minnesota, and was one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress. .

“Threatening to kill our elected officials, especially because of their race, ethnicity or religious beliefs, is an insult to our nation’s fundamental values,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Justice. Attorney Kristen Clarke said in a statement. “All elected officials, regardless of their background, must be able to represent their communities and serve the public without intimidation and hate-motivated violence.”

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here