Minnesota man charged with threatening to kill U.S. senator
A federal grand jury has indicted a Minnesota man accused of threatening to kill a U.S. senator.
Brendon Daugherty is being held in the Sherburne County Jail, in Elk River, Minn., on charges of threatening to murder a U.S. official and interstate transmission of a threat. He is to appear in court Tuesday. It is not clear if he has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Court records do not identify the senator other than to say it's not a Minnesota senator who was threatened.
According to the indictment, Daugherty left two threatening voicemail messages at the senator's field office in June. Field office staff contacted U.S. Capitol Police.
In his first message, according to a Justice Department press release, Daugherty said, "You and the Republican Party should be proud that you're pushing me to become a domestic terrorist. Have a nice [expletive] day; can't wait to kill ya." In his second message, Daugherty stated, "I also just wanted to note, thank god the Republican Party is against gun control laws because it would keep guns out of the hands of a person that was disabled and volatile like I am, but you guys are totally against that. So I may actually get to carry out my nefarious goals."
The release went on to say that the senator's field office staff recorded the two messages and reported them to U.S. Capitol Police.
FBI agents spoke with Daugherty at his Coon Rapids home Sept. 2. He told the agents he made the calls because the senator was "doing a bunch of stupid (expletive) with gun control," and that he wants politicians to "feel a little bit pressured," the Star Tribune reported.
According to court records, the 35-year-old Daugherty was convicted in October 2018 of two felony counts for threatening to burn down a Pearl Vision store in Maple Grove and harm the employees. Daugherty was angry that he owed $80 for replacement glasses, according to charges.