Man charged in threats to kill election workers in Colorado and Arizona
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Attorney General Merrick Garland during a May event in Washington, D.C. Photo: Peter G. Forest/Getty Images
A Colorado man has been arrested in connection with multiple online threats against election officials and others in Colorado and Arizona, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
The big picture: Teak Brockbank, 45, was arrested Friday in his home city of Cortez and he's accused of making "detailed death threats against election officials, judges, and law enforcement officers," per a statement from Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose DOJ Election Threats Task Force is overseeing the case.
- "Brockbank threatened the lives of multiple public servants on social media" in 2021 and 2022, alleged Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the DOJ's Criminal Division, in a statement.
Zoom in: Brockbank allegedly used the conservative-leaning sites Gab and Rumble to make online threats against election officials in Colorado and Arizona before the midterm elections under the username "Teakty4u," per a redacted complaint by an FBI agent filed Monday.
- "I could pick up my rifle and I could go put a bullet in this Mans head and send him to explain himself to our Creator right now," Teakty4u wrote about a Colorado state judge, according to the complaint.
- In a text message, Brockbank allegedly referenced the Colorado Supreme Court's December ruling that former President Trump couldn't appear on the state's ballots in the 2024 presidential election, which the U.S. Supreme Court later overruled.
- "Four judges in Colorado have removed President Trump from the ballot in Colorado. their names have been added to my list..." Brockbank was alleged to have written.
- The agent accused Brockbank of "illegally possessing firearms" despite a felony conviction.
What we're watching: Brockbank is charged with transmitting interstate threats.
- He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Zoom out: The Election Threats Task Force launched in June 2021 in response to increasing threats of violence against election workers.
Go deeper: AG denounces election worker threats as DOJ charges over a dozen people
Editor's note: This article has been updated with further context.
