Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Photo / Graeme Sloan, Bloomberg via The Washington Post
A man who was pardoned by United States President Donald Trump on charges related to his participation in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat-New York).
Christopher Moynihan, 34, was charged with the felony of making a terroristic threat, according to a statement from New York state police.
Authorities were advised that Moynihan, who resides in Clinton, New York, “had made threats to kill a member of Congress”, the statement said.
New York state police declined to release details related to the member of Congress threatened, but Jeffries confirmed in a statement today that he was the subject of a “credible death threat” from someone “with every intention to carry it out”.
“I think the reckless and irresponsible pardons of hundreds of violent felons on January 6 has consequences … There are consequences to that beyond me,” Jeffries said at a news conference with House Democratic leaders.
Jeffries also warned that the US was living in a moment of “extreme violence”, particularly for public officials, but he said he would not be intimidated.
“We will continue to show up and stand up and speak up for the American people to improve their quality of life, to address the extremism that is being unleashed on everyday Americans by this administration all across the country.
“When it comes to these extremists out there, you better watch how you talk when you talk about me,” he said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment today.
Court documents show the state police filed a temporary extreme-risk protection order against Moynihan, restricting his access to firearms and ammunition, because he was deemed to be likely to harm himself or others.
According to the order, the FBI received a tip last week that alleged Moynihan had made statements that “he would kill Congressman Jeffries in New York City for ‘the future’.” Jeffries addressed the Economic Club of New York yesterday.
The person who reported Moynihan to the FBI, who was not named, also expressed concern that Moynihan was abusing narcotics and having increasingly homicidal ideations, according to the order.
Moynihan is scheduled to appear in court on Friday in Dutchess County, New York. According to state police, Moynihan is currently in custody.
The New York state police, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at Poughkeepsie, and the FBI’s joint terrorism task force partnered in the investigation leading to Moynihan’s arrest, authorities said.
The Washington Post was not able to reach a representative for Moynihan. CBS News reported that his father declined to comment on the case and said his son did not yet have a defence lawyer.
Moynihan was among the more than 1000 Capitol riot defendants to whom Trump granted clemency in January.
Shortly after taking office, Trump issued a blanket pardon to all but 14 people convicted on charges related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection, in which a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 Electoral College win.
The attack led to five deaths and left about 140 members of law enforcement injured.
In 2022, Moynihan was found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five related misdemeanour charges tied to his actions during the US Capitol breach. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison in February 2023.
An FBI statement at the time of his sentencing said that evidence presented at trial showed Moynihan “was among rioters who broke through the security perimeter on the east side of the Capitol Building”, entering the Senate gallery and the chamber, and at one point occupying the dais of the Senate.
In the chamber, prosecutors said, Moynihan looked through papers, insisting there could be something to “use against” lawmakers.
Moynihan is not the first Capitol rioter to be in trouble with law enforcement since being granted clemency.
In late January, Matthew Huttle, who served a short jail sentence for his actions inside the US Capitol was shot to death by a sheriff’s deputy in northwest Indiana during an attempted arrest.
The following month, former Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio was arrested by US Capitol Police after authorities said a woman shoved her phone in his face and he struck her phone and arm. DC prosecutors declined to move forward with a charge.
In May, a Virginia man named Zachary Alam, who assaulted police at the Capitol on January 6 and smashed the glass pane through which Ashli Babbitt climbed before she was fatally shot, was arrested after allegedly breaking into a home.
Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023 on four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US, in a case investigating his involvement in the January 6 attack and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
The case did not go to trial, and Jack Smith, the special counsel who oversaw two federal prosecutions of Trump, resigned from the Justice Department before Trump took office again.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) said today it was “alarming” that some January 6 defendants have been picked up on other offences since they were granted clemency.
“I said on the very day that Donald Trump pardoned 1600 people en masse, without obviously studying the details of each individual case, that President Trump and his Administration would be responsible for whatever happens with these people,” Raskin said.
“They’ve got a responsibility to rein them in.”
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