This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/keep_track by /u/rusticgorilla on 2023-11-13 12:26:27.

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Domestic terrorism motivated by right-wing ideology has been on the rise since 2015, coinciding with the candidacy of Donald Trump and increasingly inflammatory Republican rhetoric. The trend arguably peaked in January 2021 with the attack on the Capitol but the threat has not abated. With Trump running for president again and the GOP becoming more extreme than ever before, Americans need to be aware of the danger right-wing terrorism poses to citizens, democracy, and the justice system.

Below is a collection of recent right-wing threats. It is not comprehensive.

Threats to government officials

An armed man was arrested after twice going to the Wisconsin Capitol demanding to see Gov. Tony Evers (D). Joshua Pleasnick, 43, showed up at the security desk outside of the governor’s Capitol office with a holstered handgun and a leashed dog, demanding to speak to the governor. He was arrested and posted $500 bail. He then returned to the Capitol with a loaded AK-47 that night. Officers took Pleasnick into protective custody and hospitalized due to concerning statements he made to officers:

“While being interviewed Pleasnick said he would continue coming to the Capitol until he spoke to the Governor about domestic abuse towards men,” a report obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said. “Pleasnick stated he did not own a vehicle and it is likely he has access to a large amount of weapons and is comfortable using them.”

A January 6th insurrectionist was arrested outside of former President Obama’s house in July. Taylor Taranto, 37, of Washington state, showed up outside the Obama home with two guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. According to court documents, Taranto got the address from former President Trump’s Truth Social post. He was allegedly looking for “entrance points” and tunnels between Tony Podesta’s house and the Obama’s.

Taranto was charged with two felony charges of carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, as well as four misdemeanors related to the January 6th insurrection.

An armed Utah man was killed at his home by FBI agents attempting to serve an arrest warrant for making threats against President Biden. Craig Deleeuw Robertson, 75, made numerous online posts featuring firearms accompanied by messages like “death to Joe Biden” and “The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!!” in 2022. The FBI got an arrest warrant after Robertson posted, “I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old ghillie suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle. Welcome, Buffoon-in-chief,” just three days before Biden was set to arrive in Salt Lake City on August 9, 2023.

According to an eyewitness, FBI agents attempted to arrest Robertson but he refused to comply. Agents claim that after they breached the house, Robertson allegedly pointed a .357 at law enforcement, and they opened fire, killing him.

  • Robertson also threatened New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, saying “I want to stand over Bragg and put a nice hole in his forehead with my 9mm and watch him twitch as a drop of blood oozes from the hole as his life ebbs away to hell!!”; New York Attorney General Letitia James, saying, “Letitia James a sniper’s bullet does not recognize your qualified immunity b/tch”; U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, posting “Merrick Garland eradication tool” with a picture of a firearm; and California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying, “Another patriotic dream…I’m standing over Gavin Newsom with a wound above his brow and my suppressed S&W M&P 9mm still smoking.”

A 19-year-old man repeatedly rammed a U-Haul truck into a barrier that protects the White House in May in an effort to “overthrow the government and replace it with an authoritarian regime fueled by Nazi ideology.” Sai Varshith Kandula, of Missouri, was originally arrested for assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, destruction of federal property, and threatening to kill, kidnap, or inflict harm on the president. However, prosecutors filed only one charge, destruction of U.S. property in excess of $1,000, to hold him in jail.

A magistrate judge denied Kandula bond, saying he presented a threat to the community:

Kandula told investigators his plan was to “get to the White House, seize power and be put in charge of the nation.” He told them he would “kill the president if that’s what I have to do and would hurt anyone that would stand in my way.”

Kandula told investigators he purchased the Nazi flag online because the “Nazi’s have a great history.” Kandula told them he looked up to Adolf Hitler and called him a “strong leader” and said he admired the Nazis’ authoritarian nature and support of eugenics.

Kandula also had a green book that detailed plans to harm family members and others, and contained the speech he was planning to give, according to court records. He said he had been working on his plan for six months.

Threats to the judiciary

A Texas woman was charged with threatening to kill the federal judge overseeing Trump’s trial for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Abigail Jo Shry, 43, left a threatening voicemail for Judge Tanya Chutkan on August 5, calling her a “stupid slave n—” and threatening to kill her and her family if “Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024.”

The caller’s introduction stated, “Hey you stupid slave nigger,” after which the caller threatened to kill anyone who went after former President Trump, including a direct threat to kill Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, all Democrats in Washington D.C. and all people in the LGBTQ community. The caller further stated, “You are in our sights, we want to kill you,” and “We want to kill Sheila Jackson Lee.” “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly, bitch.” The caller continued with their threats, stating, “You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it.”

Shry, who had been charged with different instances of criminal mischief and misdemeanor threats in the past year, was ordered detained until her next hearing.

Trump has publicly attacked Chutkan, calling her “highly partisan” and “very biased and unfair” for past comments assigning him the blame for the January 6 insurrection.

Chutkan isn’t the only judge facing death threats for overseeing a case involving Donald Trump: Judge Bruce Reinhart, a magistrate judge for the Southern District of Florida, has been a target on far-right social media platforms for signing off on the warrant to search Mar-a-Lago.

Multiple members of these toxic online communities are even posting what appears to be Judge Bruce Reinhart’s home address, phone numbers, and names of his family members alongside threats of extreme violence.

“This is the piece of shit judge who approved FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago,” a user wrote on the pro-Trump message board formerly known as TheDonald. “I see a rope around his neck.” […]

In another post on the same message board, one user commented, “Let’s find out if he has children…where they go …

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