Man arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Virginia congressman
A man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to murder Republican Rep. Scott Taylor of Virginia, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
A DOJ news release says court documents allege that 69-year-old Wallace Grove Godwin showed up at Taylor's Virginia Beach Office Thursday and, after apparently getting frustrated over a conversation on marijuana policy, threatened to come to one of Taylor's events with a gun. The man allegedly said, "Scott is having an event this Saturday. I am going to get my shotgun and do something about this. I will just handle this myself." The court documents then allege Godwin pointed at two staffers and said, "You two are next."
Court documents claim Godwin, a Virginia Beach resident, has showed up at Taylor's home and office in the past, and acted aggressively. The official charge he faces is threatening to murder and assault a U.S. official, which comes with a maximum penalty of 10 years, if convicted.
Taylor favors leaving marijuana issues to the states instead of a blanket federal prohibition, although it's unclear what allegedly enraged Godwin. Taylor, a 38-year-old freshman congressman and former Navy SEAL and Iraq War veteran, serves on the House Appropriations Committee. He has increased his profile by becoming a regular television guest to discuss the GOP agenda and political news of the day.
The threat against Taylor comes after a shooting at a congressional baseball practice last year that seriously injured House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La.