A Capitol rioter who received a presidential pardon earlier this year was arrested in New York over the weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
CBS News reported that Christopher Moynihan was taken into custody Sunday, with prosecutors claiming he sent texts about plans to “eliminate” Jeffries ahead of the top House Democrat’s appearance at the Economic Club of New York on Monday.
“Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC. 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.”
Moynihan pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a felony charge of making a terroristic threat.
The FBI claims they received an anonymous tip saying Moynihan had recently been using drugs and expressing “homicidal ideations.” The FBI alerted New York State Police on Saturday, and Moynihan was arrested the following day after what authorities called a “thorough investigation.” Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi said his office is reviewing the case for “legal and factual sufficiency,” adding that threats against public officials “will not be tolerated.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Jeffries said Moynihan’s arrest highlighted the danger of the roughly 1500 pardons Trump granted to Jan. 6 defendants upon returning to office in January.
“Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country,” Jeffries said. “Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned.”
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In Moynihan’s previous trial, prosecutors said he was among the first to breach police lines and enter the Senate chamber on Jan. 6. He was convicted in 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding and sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in the Capitol riot. He was fully pardoned on Trump’s first day in office.
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