A pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested for allegedly threatening House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, vowing to “eliminate” the Democratic leader in a text message obtained by authorities.
Christopher Moynihan, who was pardoned just nine months ago for his participation in the January 6 Capitol riot, threatened to kill Jeffries in a text message sent ahead of the Democratic lawmaker’s Monday speaking engagement at the Economic Club of New York.
“Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live,” the text read, according to court documents obtained by CBS News. “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future.”
Moynihan was arrested by New York State Police on Friday and was charged with making a terrorist threat. The case was referred to the New York State Police by the FBI.
Previously, Moynihan was pardoned by President Donald Trump, alongside 1,500 other Capitol rioters. For his involvement in the riot, Moynihan was found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding. He also pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison.
Reports from the event indicate that Moynihan was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol building, and he was seen on the Senate floor during the event. According to a sentencing memo drafted by prosecutors, Moynihan was overheard saying “There’s gotta be something in here we can f***ing use against these scumbags,” while rifling through a senator’s desk.
He reportedly only left the chamber when police ultimately forced him out.
Moynihan was arraigned at a court in Clinton, New York. He was reportedly remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center, “in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or an $80,000 partially secured bond,” the New York State Police said in a statement.
Moynihan’s next court date is set for Thursday.
Several other January 6 defendants have been arrested for additional crimes since being pardoned by Trump. Matthew Huttle was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop after allegedly pointing a firearm at officers. Zachary Alam was arrested just weeks after receiving a pardon for breaking into a Virginia home.
Trump’s blanket January 6 pardon included the roughly 900 defendants who were convicted on misdemeanor charges as well as the hundreds of others convicted of more serious offenses. Some 600 January 6 defendants were charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding police, including almost 200 rioters who carried weapons. The misdemeanor defendants, meanwhile, were largely charged for having trespassed in the Capitol without committing any violence or destruction and most received sentences of probation or home confinement.