Man pardoned by Trump arrested after threat to kill Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic leader

Jeffries called Christopher Moynihan a “dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out.”

A Jan. 6 Capitol rioter who was pardoned by President Donald Trump earlier this year was arrested for threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Christopher Moynihan was taken into custody on Sunday by New York State Police after declaring in text messages that he planned to “eliminate” Jeffries during the congressman’s speaking engagement 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,” wrote Moynihan, according to court documents, reports CBS News. He added, “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future.”

Moynihan faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat. Prior to Sunday’s arrest, he was also among the first rioters to breach police barricades and enter the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. Moynihan was ultimately found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges.

Moynihan was serving a 210-month-long sentence when President Trump pardoned him and more than 1,500 other Jan. 6 rioters–a move that was condemned by critics who warned that many of the rioters, some of whom were charged for violent crimes, would become repeat offenders.

The Jan. 6 rioters violently attacked police officers with weapons and caused millions of dollars in damage to the U.S. Capitol building after attending a Trump rally. Trump gathered thousands of his supporters in Washington, D.C. to stop Congress from certifying his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. The then45th president of the United States falsely repeated the claim that the election was rigged against him as a result of voter fraud.

Trump called the Jan. 6 rioters “political hostages” and repeatedly hinted that he would pardon them. Though he initially said he would only pardon non-violent offenders, Trump ultimately pardoned all of them. Since being pardoned, several have been arrested for other non-violent crimes. One rioter was charged with breaking and entering a Virginia home, while another was fatally shot after raising a firearm at a police officer during a traffic stop.

Reacting to Moynihan’s arrest, Leader Jeffries said in a statement, “I am grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out.”

He continued, “The person arrested, along with thousands of violent felons, who stormed the US Capitol during the January 6th attack, was pardoned by Donald Trump on the president‘s first day in office. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country.”

Jeffries said that, unfortunately, “our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our community safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned.”

He added, “It is the honor of my life to serve in Congress during these challenging times. Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people.”