GOP Lawmaker Says Biden DOJ Refused To Investigate Threats to Family, Did So For Dems
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) claims the Department of Justice did not prosecute threats against his family, contrasting its handling of similar threats against Democrats.
Banks questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland about the apparent disparity in responses to threats against him compared to those against Democratic members of Congress. In a letter to the Justice Department chief, Banks stated that the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana “declined” to prosecute an individual despite “clear evidence” of threats against Banks’ family, according to a copy of the letter obtained by ABC News.
“When Capitol Police referred the criminal case against Aaron Thompson to the U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Indiana, they declined to prosecute despite clear evidence that Thompson violated federal law,” Banks wrote.
Banks received multiple menacing voicemails from Thompson, who was subsequently prosecuted by a local district attorney in Indiana and given a two-year probation sentence.
“Three daughters. Hey, hey, hey, three bullets hey, hey, hey one wife yay. Oh yeah, yeah, we’ll give her two bullets,” Thompson said in one message, according to Banks’ letter.
During an interview with the U.S. Capitol Police, Thompson openly confessed to calling and threatening Banks because of their conflicting political views. Thompson stated that he was intoxicated during the calls, the Daily Wire reported.
The DOJ’s handling of Banks’ case contrasts sharply with its treatment of threats against Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California. Banks questioned Garland on why the cases were treated differently. A man accused of threatening Swalwell pleaded guilty in May after being charged by federal prosecutors in January.
In the case involving Rep. Eric Swalwell, an elderly man from Florida left messages for the congressman, calling him a “moron” and accusing him of having an affair with a Chinese spy. The man also made threats against Swalwell’s children, stating, “I’m gonna kill your children.” He later claimed he also was intoxicated when he left the messages.
In a case not mentioned in Banks’ letter, federal prosecutors secured a sentence of 33 months in prison and a $10,000 fine for a Texas man convicted of making threats against Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced the sentence against Brian Michael Gaherty of Houston on Monday, the DW noted.
Gaherty pleaded guilty to leaving four threatening messages for Waters in August and November 2022. In one of the messages, Gaherty threatened to “put a cap” in Waters’ head, “cut [her] throat,” and “stomp” her.
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