Dallas County Man Charged In US Capitol Riot, Allegedly Threatened To 'Assassinate' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(CBSDFW.COM/CNN) -- The Justice Department revealed new charges against a Dallas County man who allegedly participated in the Capitol attack and posted online death threats against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a U.S. Capitol Police officer.
Garret Miller faces five criminal charges stemming from the Capitol insurrection, including trespassing offenses and making death threats. Miller allegedly tweeted, "assassinate AOC," according to court documents.
He also said the police officer who fatally shot a Trump supporter during the attack "deserves to die" and won't "survive long" because it's "huntin[g] season."
Prosecutors said in newly released court documents that Miller posted extensively on social media before and during the attack, saying a "civil war could start" and "next time we bring the guns."
According to court documents, Miller responded to a tweet that claimed the rioters were "paid infiltrators." Miller allegedly said: "Nah we stormed it. We where [sic] gentle. We where [sic] unarmed. We knew what had to be done. A beautiful soul was lost today. We must know her name. She will not be forgotten."
The FBI also obtained a Facebook chat from Jan. 15, in which Miller allegedly said he was "happy to make death threats so I been just off the rails tonight lol" and that he was "happy to be banned now [from Twitter]."
Authorities were able to track Miller to his home using his cellphone number. He was arrested on Wednesday, according to the Justice Department.
Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to keep him in jail pending trial, and a detention hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Clint Broden, a lawyer for Miller, told CNN Saturday that his client "certainly regrets what he did."
"He did it in support of former President (Donald) Trump, but regrets his actions. He has the support of his family, and a lot of the comments, as viewed in context, are really sort of misguided political hyperbole. Given the political divide these days, there is a lot of hyperbole," Broden said.
The riot in Washington, D.C. happened after a rally by now-former President Donald Trump and his supporters as they called for the 2020 election results to be overturned due to unfounded claims of voter fraud. In the end, five people, including a Capitol police officer, died as a result of the events.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The CNN Wire™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company contributed to this report.)
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