As Democrats reel about the attack on the speaker of the House's husband, one congressman and his staff can rest a little easier because the man who threatened them is being held accountable.
Christopher WigginsA Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty after he was charged over threatening the life of Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and his staff.
Joshua Hall, 22, pleaded guilty to making threats to kill a member of Congress, according to a Justice Department statement released Friday.
As a result of his guilty plea, Hall faces a maximum five-year prison sentence.
Hall made several calls from Yonkers, N.Y., to one of Swalwell’s California offices, according to the Department of Justice. In those calls, Hall said he'd kill the congressman as well as some of this staff. He also said that he was planning to do so at Swalwell's office or he'd find him "wherever he was and hurt him."
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in the release, “Joshua Hall made terrifying threats to the staff of a United States Congressman whom he disliked rather than attempting to effect change through any of the freedoms of expression that all Americans enjoy. These threats of violence endanger our public officials and thwart common decency, which is why this Office will continue to prosecute crimes like those committed by Joshua Hall.”
In response to the announcement, Swalwell told The Advocate that he was grateful for the work of all involved in the investigation.
“I am deeply grateful to the FBI, U.S. Capitol Police, Yonkers Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Justice for taking these threats — and the safety of me and my staff seriously — and for seeking accountability,” Swalwell said.
Hall had previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges due to his involvement with a bogus organization he called Gay Voices for Trump. As part of his scam, Hall impersonated members of the Trump family to bilk supporters out of money.
Swalwell revealed in late August that a person claiming to be a gay conservative called him and his staff with threatening messages.
"A staffer of mine—who’s 1 month into her job—received a call from a man saying he’s coming to our office w/ an assault rifle to kill me. I hesitate to share this but how else do I tell you we are in violent times, & the architects are Trump & McCarthy. Bloodshed is coming," Swalwell tweeted at the time, referring to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The person who made those calls was Hall, authorities now say.
“Politics can be polarizing, but we must never normalize or tolerate death threats,” Swalwell said. “Today, MAGA political violence is at peak level in America and it’s going to get someone killed. I urge GOP leaders to denounce the violence.”
The announcement of Hall's guilty plea came the day Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was assaulted in the couple’s San Francisco home. The suspect in the attack is accused of breaking into the Pelosi home in San Fransico early Friday, yelling "Where is Nancy?"
While the attack at the speaker's home has put a spotlight on threats to political candidates and lawmakers, it's also been used as a joke on the campaign trail.
Virginia’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, made light of what happened. Hours after the attack, Youngkin was at a campaign stop for Republican Yesli Vega, who is running against Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger.
“There’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send her back to be with him in California,” Youngkin said. “That’s what we’re going to go do,” he said to a cheering crowd.
While Youngkin’s spokesperson Macaulay Porter attempted to defend the governor online from critics who said Younking's comments were inappropriate and potentially harmful, journalist and analyst Molly Jong-Fast commented on Twitter. “Why can’t [Youngkin] just disavow the violence?” she wrote.
Porter responded, “He did. This is what he said: “There’s no room for violence anywhere[.]”
Twitter users were quick to point out that was only part of what Youngkin said.
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