Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Charged With Threatening Top Democrat in Congress

A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol has been charged with threatening to kill Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to court filings.

Christopher Moynihan, 34, was charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, after sending threatening text messages on Oct. 17 about an appearance Jeffries was scheduled to make in New York City, according to a criminal complaint filed in state court and obtained by The Epoch Times.

“Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live,” the messages stated, according to the document, which was dated Oct. 18. “I cannot allow this terrorist to live. … Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. … I will kill him for the future.”

Court documents did not identify the recipient of the texts.

“These text messages placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant,” Matthew Reilly, a senior investigator with the New York State Police, wrote in the complaint.

The New York State Police said that it worked with the FBI to arrest Moynihan. He was arraigned after his arrest, pleaded not guilty, and was slated to appear in court again on Oct. 23.

“Although my office was not contacted during the investigative stage of this matter, we are now reviewing the case for legal and factual sufficiency,” Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi told The Epoch Times in an email. “Threats made against elected officials and members of the public will not be tolerated. We will pursue every available investigative and prosecutorial tool to hold responsible parties accountable, protect potential victims, and deter future violence. Public safety is our highest priority; anyone who makes threats intended to intimidate, harm, or influence the government or its leaders will face swift and decisive action.”

It was not clear whether Moynihan had retained a lawyer. He faces two to seven years in prison if convicted.

Jeffries wrote on X on Oct. 21 that he was grateful to law enforcement officials for apprehending the defendant.

“It is the honor of my life to serve in Congress during these challenging times,” he said. “Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people.”

For his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, Moynihan was convicted in 2023 of the felony of obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five related misdemeanor charges, resulting in a prison sentence of 21 months followed by three years of supervised release. Moynihan and other rioters broke through a security perimeter on the east side of the Capitol on Jan. 6, and he later entered the Senate chamber, from which senators had fled, before being escorted out of the building by law enforcement.

Trump, on Jan. 20, after being sworn in, pardoned approximately 1,500 people charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. The president said defendants and convicts had been treated unfairly.

Several other individuals pardoned by Trump have been arrested for unrelated crimes, including Brent Holdridge, a California man, for allegedly stealing copper from an industrial facility.

Jeffries said that it was unfortunate authorities “are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who never should have been pardoned.”