Nebraska man pleads guilty to making threats against election official
By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Nebraska man pleaded responsible on Thursday to creating threats in opposition to an election official, marking the third federal case introduced by a U.S. Justice Division activity power fashioned final yr to handle the rising tide of such threats.
The Justice Division mentioned that Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, wrote threatening posts on Instagram in August 2021 to an unnamed election official, asking: “Do you are feeling secure? You should not… Your safety element is way too skinny and incompetent to guard you.”
Threats in opposition to election employees and volunteers drastically elevated earlier than and after the November 2020 presidential election, spurred by former Republican President Donald Trump’s repeated false claims that the election was stolen from him, which he continues to do with none proof.
Reuters revealed a collection of investigative reviews that documented greater than 850 threats and menacing messages to U.S. election employees.
U.S. Legal professional Basic Merrick Garland launched the duty power on election threats in June of 2021. Since then, it has filed fees in opposition to defendants in Texas, Nevada and Thursday’s case in Nebraska.
It additionally has carried out over 20 trainings and outreach occasions on election threats to state, native, and federal legislation enforcement, state and native election officers, and social media firms all through the USA.
“The Justice Division won’t tolerate unlawful threats of violence in opposition to public officers,” Garland mentioned in an announcement on Thursday.
Ford is slated to be sentenced on Oct. 6, and faces as much as two years in jail.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Modifying by Invoice Berkrot)
