Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter charged with plotting Jeffries' assassination
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 21. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Jan. 6 rioter who was pardoned by President Trump earlier this year is facing charges of plotting to assassinate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Zoom in: Christopher Moynihan allegedly said in text messages on Oct. 17 that he would target a speech Jeffries was scheduled to give in New York City, according to a criminal complaint filed in state court.
- "I cannot allow this terrorist to live," Moynihan allegedly wrote. "Even if I am hated he must be eliminated ... I will kill him for the future."
- The anonymous recipient of the texts, who tipped off state police, was "also concerned over [Moynihan's] increased narcotic abuse and homicidal ideations," according to an extreme risk protection order.
State of play: Moynihan, a 34-year-old resident of Clinton, N.Y., was arrested Sunday and charged with making a terroristic threat.
- Moynihan was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, according to Sinead McLoughlin, executive assistant district attorney for Dutchess County, New York. He is due in court on Oct. 23.
- Jeffries spoke to the Economic Club of New York on Monday. The event went on without incident.
- CBS News was first to report the details of the complaint against Moynihan.
The latest: "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 said in a statement.
- He added: "We will pursue every available investigative and prosecutorial tool to hold responsible parties accountable, protect potential victims, and deter future violence."
What they're saying: "The person arrested, along with thousands of violent felons who stormed the US Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, was pardoned by Donald Trump on the President's very first day in office," Jeffries said in a statement.
- "Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country," he added.
- "Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people."
Flashback: Moynihan was sentenced in 2023 to 21 months in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding for entering the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.
- Prosecutors said Moynihan walked through the Senate chamber and took pictures of papers on senators' desks, saying "there's gotta be something in here we can f---- use against these ----bags."
- Trump issued a blanket pardon to him, along with most other Jan. 6 rioters, at the start of his second term.
Zoom out: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), asked at a press conference Tuesday about the threat against Jeffries, said, "That's terrible. That's the first I've heard of that, don't know anything about it."
- "But anybody who threatens to kill any political official we denounce it absolutely and let justice fall upon their heads," he added.
- Pressed further about Trump's pardons, Johnson again denounced the threat but added, "I will tell you this, the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right."
- The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Between the lines: The incident comes as lawmakers are facing a spike in threats of violence.
- The Capitol Police said last month they are on track to have around 14,000 threat assessment cases by the end of 2025, up from less than 9,500 last year.
Axios' Kate Santaliz contributed reporting for this story.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
