A man who was pardoned by President Trump after storming the U.S. Capitol in 2021 has been arrested on a charge that he threatened to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested in the town of Clinton, New York, for making a terroristic threat to kill a member of Congress, per BBC. He has pleaded not guilty.
The 34-year old allegedly planned to target House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during a speech to the Economic Club of New York scheduled for this week, according to court filings obtained by the BBC’s US partner CBS New York.
In February 2023, Moynihan was sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in the Capitol riots. He was convicted of obstructing an official proceeding, disorderly conduct in a restricted area, and other, similar charges.
“There’s gotta be something in here we can f—- use against these scumbags,” Moynihan said in a video from the riot, later adding, “We will restore our republic. Down with communism. Down with Biden.”
Before being sentenced in the Capitol attack case, Moynihan’s attorneys told the Washington, DC, judge presiding that their client “has struggled with addiction to opiates” and that past misdemeanor convictions of possessing a controlled substance and petty larceny “all stem from a time when he was in the throes of that addiction.”
President Donald Trump pardoned Moynihan — along with others convicted of January 6 offenses — earlier this year.
Moynihan’s bail has been set at $10,000 cash or $30,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday (October 23)