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A supporter of Donald Trump who pleaded responsible to leaving threatening messages for members of Congress has been sentenced to 33 months in federal jail.
Ryder Winegar of Amherst, New Hampshire, pleaded responsible in August to levelling demise threats in opposition to three senators and three members of the Home of Representatives through voicemail.
In one of many messages, excerpts of which have been printed by New Hampshire authorities, Mr Winegar instructed his goal: “I bought some recommendation for you. Right here’s the recommendation, Donald Trump is your president. When you don’t get behind him, we’re going to hold you till you die.”
One other message noticed him indulge a number of prejudices whereas making one other menace. “And it actually, actually, it boils down to 2 camps,” he mentioned to the unnamed goal. “You both help our president, help liberty, and f*** this world homo, uh, vaccination Jewish agenda, otherwise you’re not. Wherein case we’re going to f***ing kill you. Do you perceive?”
Mr Winegar left the messages in December 2020, on the peak of Mr Trump’s effort to delegitimise Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Across the similar time, he additionally despatched an e-mail to a member of the New Hampshire state legislature through which he threatened to drag the legislator from his mattress and dangle him.
Mr Winegar was interviewed a couple of days after the voicemails had been left, however flew to Brazil earlier than he might be arrested and didn’t return to the US till 11 January this 12 months, at which level he was apprehended.
Talking after the sentencing, appearing US Lawyer John J. Farley mentioned that Mr Winegar’s case “sends a transparent message that threats of violence haven’t any place in our political discourse”.
“Whereas all residents are free to precise their political beliefs,” he mentioned, “it’s illegal to threaten to commit acts of violence in opposition to members of Congress or members of the state legislature … threatening to assault and kill six members of Congress and a member of the New Hampshire Home of Representatives to stop them from finishing up their constitutional duties is a federal crime, not protected speech. Let’s hope that at the moment’s sentence lastly teaches Ryder Winegar that necessary lesson.”
Demise threats in opposition to members of Congress have escalated for the reason that 2020 election, with Democrats and opponents of Mr Trump disproportionately focused.
Sure Republican members of Congress have themselves been condemned for selling incendiary messages and pictures. Arizona Consultant Paul Gosar was lately censured over a cartoon clip edited to indicate him stabbing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez within the again, whereas Colorado Consultant Lauren Boebert has been criticized for Islamophobic feedback about her colleague Ilhan Omar, who this week performed an instance of a demise menace she obtained to a press convention.
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