An Alabama man has been charged with making threatening voicemails to Fulton County officials in Georgia relating to Donald Trump’s Georgia election subversion case.
Arthur Ray Hanson II was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on 25 October on felony charges of transmitting interstate threats to injure Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, according to the US Attorney’s office in the Northern District of Georgia.
According to US Attorney Ryan Buchanan, Mr Hanson, a resident of Huntsville, Alabama, called the Fulton County government customer service line twice in August and left voicemails in which he threatened violence against the officials.
In part of his message for Ms Willis, Mr Hanson said: “When you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder,” the Department of Justice said in a press release.
He made other statements that included: “Watch it when you’re going to the car at night. When you’re going into your house, watch everywhere that you’re going.”
“I would be very afraid if I were you because you can’t be around people all the time that are going to protect you,” he also said. “There’s gonna be moments when you’re gonna be vulnerable.”
“What you put out there, [expletive], comes back at you ten times harder, and don’t ever forget it.”
In his message for Mr Labat, Mr Hanson said: “If you think you gonna take a mugshot of my President Donald Trump, and it’s gonna be OK, you gonna find out that after you take that mugshot, some bad [expletive] probably gonna happen to you.”
“Sending interstate threats to physically harm prosecutors and law enforcement officers is a vile act intended to interfere with the administration of justice and intimidate individuals who accept a solemn duty to protect and safeguard the rights of citizens,” said Mr Buchanan.
“When someone threatens to harm public servants for doing their jobs to enforce our criminal laws, it potentially weakens the very foundation of our society. Our office will labour tirelessly with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to help ensure that law enforcement officials are free to serve our communities without the threat of physical attack.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI.
“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, but also a threat against our democratic process,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.
“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. We take this responsibility very seriously and seek to punish those who engage in this type of criminal behaviour, and to send the message that such conduct will not be tolerated.”
