Reuters unmasks Trump supporters who terrified election workers

By Linda So and Jason Szep | Reuters

In Arizona, a stay-at-home dada and part-time Lyft operator told the state’s main predetermination serviceman she would bent for treason. In Utah, a younker attraction halfway staffer warned Colorado’s predetermination main that helium knew wherever she lived and watched her arsenic she slept.

In Vermont, a antheral who says helium works successful operation told workers astatine the authorities predetermination bureau and astatine Dominion Voting Systems that they were astir to die.

“This mightiness beryllium a bully clip to enactment a f—— pistol successful your f—— rima and propulsion the trigger,” the antheral shouted astatine Vermont officials successful a heavy New England accent past December. “Your days are f—— numbered.”

The 3 had overmuch successful common. All described themselves arsenic patriots warring a conspiracy that robbed Donald Trump of the 2020 election. They are regular consumers of far-right websites that clasp Trump’s stolen-election falsehoods. And nary person been charged with a transgression by the instrumentality enforcement agencies alerted to their threats.

They were among 9 radical who told Reuters successful interviews that they made threats oregon near different hostile messages to predetermination workers. In all, they are liable for astir 2 twelve harassing communications to six predetermination officials successful 4 states. Seven made threats explicit capable to enactment a tenable idiosyncratic successful fearfulness of bodily harm oregon death, the U.S. national modular for transgression prosecution, according to 4 ineligible experts who reviewed their messages astatine Reuters’ request.

These cases supply a unsocial position into however radical with mundane jobs and lives person go radicalized to the constituent of terrorizing nationalist officials. They are portion of a broader run of fearfulness waged against frontline workers of American ideology chronicled by Reuters this year. The quality enactment has documented astir 800 intimidating messages to predetermination officials successful 12 states, including much than 100 that could warrant prosecution, according to ineligible experts.

The introspection of the threats besides highlights the paralysis of instrumentality enforcement successful responding to this bonzer battle connected the nation’s electoral machinery. After Reuters reported the wide intimidation successful June, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a task unit to analyse threats against predetermination unit and said it would aggressively prosecute specified cases. But instrumentality enforcement agencies person made astir nary arrests and won nary convictions.

In galore cases, they didn’t investigate. Some messages were excessively hard to trace, officials said. Other instances were analyzable by America’s patchwork of authorities laws governing transgression threats, which supply varying levels of extortion for escaped code and marque section officials successful immoderate states reluctant to prosecute specified cases. Adding to the confusion, ineligible scholars say, the U.S. Supreme Court hasn’t formulated a wide explanation of a transgression threat.

For this report, Reuters acceptable retired to place the radical down these attacks connected predetermination workers and recognize their motivations. Reporters submitted public-records requests and interviewed dozens of predetermination officials successful 12 states, obtaining telephone numbers and email addresses for 2 twelve of the threateners.

Reuters was capable to interrogation 9 of them. All admitted they were down the threats oregon different hostile messages. Eight did truthful connected the record, identifying themselves by name.

In the 7 cases that ineligible scholars said could beryllium prosecuted, instrumentality enforcement agencies were alerted by predetermination officials to six of them. The radical who made those threats told Reuters they ne'er heard from police.

All 9 harassers interviewed by Reuters said they believed they did thing wrong. Just 2 expressed regret erstwhile told their messages had frightened officials oregon caused information scares. The 7 others were unrepentant, with immoderate saying the predetermination workers deserved the menacing messages.

Ross Miller, a Georgia real-estate investor, warned an authoritative successful the Atlanta country that he’d beryllium tarred and feathered, hung oregon look firing squads unless helium addressed elector fraud. In an interview, Miller said helium would proceed to marque specified calls “until they bash something.” He added: “We can’t person different predetermination until they hole what happened successful the past one.”

The harassers expressed beliefs akin to those voiced by rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol connected January 6, trying to artifact Democrat Joe Biden’s certification arsenic president. Nearly each of the threateners saw the state deteriorating into a warfare betwixt bully and evil – “patriots” against “communists.” They echoed extremist ideas popularized by QAnon, a corporate of baseless conspiracy theories that often formed Trump arsenic a savior fig and Democrats arsenic villains. Some said they were preparing for civilian war. Six were successful their 50s oregon older; each but 2 were men.

They are portion of a nationalist phenomenon. America’s national elections are administered by authorities and section officials. But the threateners are targeting workers acold from home: Seven of the 9 harassed officials successful different states. Some targeted predetermination officials successful states wherever Trump mislaid by important margins, specified arsenic Colorado – oregon adjacent Vermont, wherever Biden won by 35 percent points.

“These radical firmly judge successful the ‘Big Lie’ that the erstwhile president legitimately won the election,” said Chris Krebs, who ran the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency astatine the Department of Homeland Security. Krebs was fired by Trump past twelvemonth for declaring that the 2020 predetermination had been conducted fairly. By terrorizing predetermination officials, helium said, they’re efficaciously acting arsenic Trump’s “foot soldiers.”

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

Representative John Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat, introduced authorities successful June to marque it a national transgression to intimidate, endanger oregon harass an predetermination worker. The bill, which has not travel up for a vote, followed a Reuters probe into specified threats published the aforesaid month.

“I deliberation we’re connected a unsafe path,” Sarbanes said past week erstwhile told the threats were continuing with small instrumentality enforcement intervention. “We privation determination to beryllium immoderate effectual and sustained propulsion backmost connected this benignant of harassment.”

You’re ‘about to get f—— popped’

Only 1 of the 9 harassers Reuters interviewed wouldn’t uncover his identity: the antheral threatening Vermont officials. Before reporters started examining him, instrumentality enforcement officials had decided against investigating, arsenic galore different agencies person done successful akin cases nationwide.

Late past year, betwixt Nov. 22 and Dec. 1, helium near 3 messages with the caput of state’s bureau from a fig that authorities constabulary deemed “essentially untraceable,” according to an interior constabulary email obtained done a public-records request. The antheral identified himself arsenic a Vermont nonmigratory successful 1 voicemail.

Police didn’t prosecute a lawsuit connected the grounds that helium didn’t endanger a circumstantial idiosyncratic oregon bespeak an imminent program to act, according to emails and prosecution records. State constabulary ne'er spoke with the caller, according to interviews with authorities officials, a instrumentality enforcement root and a reappraisal of interior constabulary emails.

Reuters did.

Reporters connected with him successful September connected the telephone fig constabulary called untraceable. In 5 conversations implicit 4 days spanning much than 3 hours, helium acknowledged threatening Vermont officials and described his thinking.

He soon grew agitated, peppering 2 Reuters reporters with 137 texts and voicemails implicit the past month, threatening the journalists and describing his predetermination conspiracy theories.

The antheral telephoned the caput of state’s bureau again connected Oct. 17 from the aforesaid telephone fig utilized successful the different threats. This clip helium was much explicit. Addressing authorities staffers and referring to the 2 journalists by name, helium said helium guaranteed that each would soon get “popped.”

“You guys are a clump of f—— clowns, and each you soiled c—suckers are astir to get f—— popped,” helium said. “I f—— warrant it.”

The officials referred the voicemail to authorities police, who again declined to investigate. Agency spokesperson Adam Silverman said successful a connection that the connection didn’t represent an “unambiguous notation to weapon violence,” adding that the connection “popped” – communal American slang for “shot” – “is unclear and nonspecific, and could beryllium a notation to idiosyncratic being arrested.”

Legal experts didn’t spot it that way. Fred Schauer, a University of Virginia instrumentality professor, said the connection apt constituted a transgression menace nether national instrumentality by threatening weapon unit astatine circumstantial individuals. “There’s surely an intent to enactment radical successful fear,” Schauer said.

After Reuters asked Vermont officials astir the October threat, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began an enquiry into the matter, according to 2 section instrumentality enforcement officials.

The FBI declined to corroborate oregon contradict immoderate probe into that menace and others reported successful this story. In a statement, the bureau said it takes specified acts seriously, moving with different instrumentality enforcement agencies “to place and halt immoderate imaginable threats to nationalist safety” and “investigate immoderate and each national violations to the fullest.”

‘I’m a patriot’

Many of the harassers person been radicalized by a increasing beingness of far-right websites and different sources of disinformation astir the 2020 election. Like Trump, they bashed mainstream quality outlets and formed them arsenic complicit successful an elaborate strategy to bargain the election.

Jamie Fialkin of Peoria, Arizona, talked of a expansive conspiracy of those controlling the media, the banking strategy and societal media companies. “When you person those 3 things, you tin get distant with thing – you tin archer people, ‘black is white, achromatic is black,’ and radical go, ‘OK,’” Fialkin said.

On the surface, thing astir Fialkin’s biography suggests extremism. A erstwhile stand-up comedian from Brooklyn, New York, Fialkin said helium has a grade successful actuarial science, the survey of security data. In 2017, helium self-published a publication marketed arsenic a “survival guide” for first-time older parents. The 54-year-old said helium spends astir days taking attraction of his 2 young daughters and driving part-time for Lyft.

At a 2006 drama show, helium poked amusive astatine his “professional bowler” physique, balding head, and inability to play golf. The self-described Orthodox Jew besides took purpose astatine Palestinians and described his governmental views arsenic “a small much to the right.”

Fialkin said successful an interrogation that he’s nary longer successful a joking mood.

He believes America is headed for civilian war. He endorsed Trump’s mendacious claims that millions of fraudulent votes swung the predetermination to Biden. He said he’s convinced that erstwhile President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and progressive philanthropist George Soros bought fake ballots from China, different debunked mentation promoted by Trump’s allies.

Fialkin blamed 1 idiosyncratic successful peculiar for Trump’s Arizona loss: Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the state’s apical predetermination official. On June 3, Fialkin called Hobbs’ bureau and near a connection saying she’d bent “from a f—— tree.”

“They’re going to bent you for treason, you f—— bitch,” Fialkin said.

Minutes later, Fialkin near different voicemail successful which helium recommended a “good slogan” for Democrat Hobbs’ run for governor: “Don’t ballot for me, for 1 reason. Back successful December, I got hung for treason.”

Fialkin said helium ne'er intended to harm Hobbs, but was unapologetic.

“I’m not denying anything,” helium said, “because I’m a patriot.”

Fialkin said helium changed his Republican elector registration to autarkic due to the fact that the enactment didn’t combat hard capable for Trump.

“I’m similar astir Americans,” helium said. “We’re conscionable waiting to spot erstwhile the civilian warfare starts.”

Fialkin’s messages were portion of a barrage targeting Hobbs. Two others came from Jeff Yeager, a 56-year-old self-employed electrician from Los Angeles. Yeager, too, called for her execution.

“When Katie the c— is executed for treason, what are you f—— traitors going to beryllium doing for work?” Yeager said successful a June 17 voicemail near for Hobbs and her staff. Months later, connected Sept. 8, helium near different voicemail informing she’d beryllium executed.

Yeager acknowledged leaving the messages and said helium didn’t attraction if Hobbs felt threatened. “If she thinks that I’m a menace to her, I’m not,” helium said. “But the nationalist is going to bent this woman.”

Yeager said helium sees the mainstream media arsenic afloat of disinformation; helium called Reuters “one of the astir evil organizations connected the planet.” He said helium gets his quality from “alternative websites that are not censored,” including societal web Gab and Bitchute, a video-sharing tract known for hosting far-right figures and conspiracy theorists.

“Everything we’re being told is simply a lie,” helium said.

In an interview, Hobbs said the threats by Fialkin, Yeager and others person been “emotionally draining” for her and her staff. The messages from Fialkin and Yeager were sent to the FBI, her spokesperson said. Some threats triggered a information detail, Hobbs said.

Jared Carter, a Cornell University instrumentality prof specializing successful law free-speech issues, said the threats by some men could beryllium prosecuted nether national law. “In airy of the aggregate voicemails from the aforesaid person, and the wide code of the messages, a tribunal could find them to beryllium existent threats,” Carter said.

Election administrators specified arsenic Hobbs are portion of a broader array of nationalist officials targeted by Trump supporters. The time earlier Yeager spoke with Reuters successful September, helium said, 2 FBI agents visited him astatine his Los Angeles location to sermon threats helium made to 2 nationalist politicians: Republican Senator Mitt Romney and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, some of whom denounced Trump for inciting the January 6 insurrection. He said the FBI agents produced transcripts of his calls to Pelosi and Romney. Yeager said the transcripts quoted him arsenic saying “we volition termination you.”

The agents instructed him however to lawfully explicit his governmental views, Yeager said, and near without arresting him. “I’m not making immoderate much calls to anybody,” helium said. “I whitethorn person crossed the enactment successful 1 sentence, but I’m nary information to anybody.”

Spokespeople for Romney and Pelosi declined to remark connected Yeager’s threats.

Inspired by Trump

Others who threatened predetermination officials told Reuters they were straight inspired by Trump oregon his salient allies, who person denounced circumstantial predetermination offices nationwide for allowing elector fraud, turning them into targets.

Eric Pickett, a 42-year-old nighttime staffer astatine a younker attraction halfway successful Utah, said his choler boiled implicit aft watching an Aug. 10 “cyber symposium” held by pillow magnate Mike Lindell, a Trump state who has pushed mendacious predetermination conspiracy theories.

Pickett said helium paid adjacent attraction arsenic 1 of the symposium’s speakers, Tina Peters, a Republican clerk successful Colorado’s Mesa County, criticized Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat. Griswold has been starring an probe into Peters implicit a voting-system information breach successful Mesa, 1 of the state’s astir blimpish counties. At the symposium, Peters, an election-fraud conspiracy theorist, claimed Griswold “raided” her bureau to nutrient mendacious grounds and “bully” her.

None of that was true, according to authorities officials. Nonetheless, Pickett snapped. He got connected Facebook and sent Griswold a message.

“You raided an office. You broke the law. STOP USING YOUR TACTICS. STOP NOW. Watch your back. I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP, I SEE YOU SLEEPING. BE AFRAID, BE VERRY AFFRAID. I anticipation you die.”

A Griswold spokesperson said the August connection was promptly referred to authorities and national instrumentality enforcement. The menace was reported by Reuters successful September.

Pickett said successful an interrogation that helium “got wrapped up successful the moment.” He was amazed Griswold recovered the connection threatening and expressed regret for causing alarm.

“I didn’t cognize they would instrumentality it arsenic a threat,” helium said. “I was reasoning they would conscionable instrumentality it arsenic idiosyncratic conscionable trolling them.”

Colorado State Patrol, successful effect to a records request, said they had nary investigative reports connected the threat. A spokesperson, Sergeant Troy Kessler, said the State Patrol reviewed each messages it received from Griswold’s bureau and that nary 1 had been arrested.

Three ineligible experts said the connection met the threshold of a menace that could beryllium prosecuted nether national law. “The full intent of the threats doctrine is to support radical from not lone a imaginable of carnal violence, but the harm of surviving with a menace hanging implicit you,” said Timothy Zick, a William & Mary Law School professor.

Lindell and Peters did not respond to requests for comment.

Tarred and feathered

Trump’s stolen-election claims astir Georgia, traditionally a Republican stronghold, person sparked immoderate of the astir superior predetermination threats.

In a Dec. 10 proceeding organized by Georgia Republican lawmakers, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani played a abbreviated snippet of surveillance footage from Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, which was utilized arsenic a tabulation site. He claimed it showed Fulton County predetermination workers pulling retired suitcases afloat of fraudulent ballots successful Biden’s favor. State investigators and region officials person said the “suitcases” were modular ballot containers and the video shows mean vote-counting.

Ross Miller, the real-estate capitalist successful Forsyth County, Georgia, saw the video. He near a Dec. 31 voicemail for Fulton County Elections Director Richard Barron, saying helium “better run” and that he’ll beryllium tarred and feathered and executed unless “ya’ll bash something” astir elector fraud. Barron forwarded the menace to police, according to a region email.

However, Fulton County Police Chief Wade Yates said his bureau did not interaction Miller aft concluding the connection did not represent a menace nether Georgia law.

In an interview, Miller acknowledged making the call.

“I near the connection due to the fact that I’m a patriot, and I’m sick and bushed of what’s going connected successful this country,” helium said. “That’s what happens erstwhile you perpetrate treason: You get hung.”

Miller, who said helium was successful his sixties, said he’s been kicked disconnected Twitter 7 times for his views. He follows “Tore Says,” a podcast fashionable with QAnon adherents whose host, Terpsichore Maras-Lindeman, has called for a “revolutionary movement.”

“You’ve got to basal up,” said Miller. “You’re either a patriot for the state of this state oregon you’re a communist against it.”

‘You’re each f—— dead’

Some Vermont officials questioned wherefore the antheral intimidating authorities officials wasn’t investigated oregon prosecuted, highlighting a broader nationalist statement implicit however to respond to post-election threats. In a signifier seen crossed America, Vermont instrumentality enforcement officials decided this man’s repeated menacing messages amounted to legally protected escaped speech.

The threatener focused connected 1 of the cardinal conspiracy theories promoted by Trump and his allies: That officials had rigged vote-counting exertion from Dominion Voting Systems to flip millions of votes to Biden.

“Just fto everybody cognize that their days are f—— numbered,” helium said successful a Dec. 1 voicemail. “There are a batch of radical who are going to beryllium executed.”

Around that time, officials astatine Dominion’s office successful Colorado received 3 unsettling voicemails. “You’re each f—— dead,” said 1 message. “We’re going to f—— termination you all.” The caller’s telephone fig and dependable matched those connected the Vermont threats.

The threats to Dominion were referred to the Denver Police Department and the FBI. Denver constabulary failed to place the caller, a section spokesperson said.

The Vermont caput of state’s bureau is located successful a historical 19th-century ceramic Queen Anne-style location successful the superior of Montpelier. The unit helps registry voters and administer elections successful a authorities with 1 of America’s lowest rates of convulsive crime. The voicemails terrified immoderate staffers.

“I had to effort to calm radical down,” Secretary of State Jim Condos said successful an interview. “We were each connected edge.”

After the Dec. 1 threats, Vermont Deputy Secretary of State Chris Winters expressed astonishment that constabulary wouldn’t prosecute the caller, according to emails betwixt secretary-of-state officials and constabulary obtained done a records’ request.

“I americium trying to marque consciousness of this,” Winters wrote successful an email to Daniel Trudeau, the transgression part commandant of the Vermont State Police. “If idiosyncratic makes a veiled menace to travel to the Secretary of State’s bureau and execute lone the blameworthy ones connected the predetermination team, without naming names, they’ve not breached the law?” Winters added that helium wanted to cognize “who we’re dealing with.”

Trudeau replied that helium had consulted with different officers and didn’t spot a crime, due to the fact that the caller did not specify that helium would travel to the caput of state’s bureau and did not accidental that helium personally would execute anyone.

Vermont’s authorities constabulary quality portion tried but failed to place the caller. Police examined the number, which bore a Vermont country code, but said it was untraceable, according to an email betwixt authorities constabulary officials. The unit’s commander, Shawn Loan, wrote to Trudeau saying that the threats could beryllium portion of a “larger campaign” and the calls “may person been scripted.” He added that the caller utilized voice-over-internet technology. Two erstwhile FBI agents said specified calls tin beryllium harder to hint than those made from landlines oregon cellular phones.

Loan was not instantly disposable for comment, a spokesperson said.

Vermont State Police didn’t prosecute the threatener. Rory Thibault, the state’s lawyer successful Washington County, which includes Montpelier, supported Trudeau’s determination successful a four-page Dec. 15 memo to authorities police. The messages were “protected speech,” Thibault wrote, due to the fact that they were not “directed astatine a azygous idiosyncratic oregon official.” They were “conditional” connected a “perception of malfeasance successful the predetermination process,” and the caller didn’t bespeak helium would personally inflict harm, helium said.

Zick, the William & Mary professor, said a menace doesn’t needfully person to azygous retired a circumstantial idiosyncratic to beryllium prosecuted nether national law. If idiosyncratic calls successful a weaponry menace to Congress alternatively than to a circumstantial senator’s office, for instance, “that’s inactive a threat.”

In an interview, Thibault said Vermont laws airs unsocial challenges for pursuing specified cases due to the fact that they connection greater protections for idiosyncratic rights than national laws. He added that the threats and the emergence of extremist rhetoric are starring to a propulsion for tougher anti-harassment laws.

Vermont State Representative Maxine Grad said she plans to present a measure successful the January league aimed astatine broadening protections for radical who person received transgression threats, specified arsenic predetermination workers.

On Dec. 16, a time aft the state’s lawyer ruled retired an investigation, the unidentified caller taunted Vermont predetermination officials successful a caller voicemail. “All the traitors volition beryllium punished” successful the “next fewer weeks,” helium said. “Kill yourself now.”

This time, the caller utilized a antithetic fig that appeared to beryllium a pre-paid “burner” phone.

Montpelier Police Chief Brian Peete was concerned. “Very disturbing,” helium wrote to authorities police, information and caput of authorities officials aft reviewing the Dec. 16 threat. “Fits illustration of idiosyncratic who whitethorn act.”

Again, authorities constabulary declined to analyse due to the fact that the caller didn’t endanger a circumstantial individual, according to constabulary emails.

The telephone numbers utilized by the caller near fewer clues astir his identity. One reverse telephone lookup work linked his fig to Bennington, a municipality of astir 15,000 radical successful southwest Vermont. Denver constabulary couldn’t place the caller, but recovered “decent information” linking the fig to Bennington, according to a Denver Police Department study connected the threats to Dominion.

Surrounded by the Green Mountains, the Bennington country is known for its picturesque workplace houses, a towering Revolutionary War conflict monument and blazing autumn foliage. Less known is that the rural, mostly achromatic municipality and different parts of confederate Vermont person seen a emergence successful Trump-inspired militia enactment successful caller years, residents and authorities officials say.

In April, the municipality agreed to wage a $137,500 colony to Kiah Morris, the authorities legislature’s lone achromatic pistillate elected official, who resigned successful September 2018, pursuing complaints that Bennington constabulary failed to decently analyse racially motivated harassment against her. Morris declined to remark for this story.

The calls from the still-unidentified antheral threatening predetermination officials and reporters were referred to the FBI, according to constabulary emails.

Reuters archetypal reached the antheral connected Sept. 17. In a little interview, helium referenced the Dominion conspiracy theory. Asked for his name, helium swore and hung up.

A week later, the journalists contacted him again connected the aforesaid number. He admitted leaving the voicemails to explicit his “absolute dissatisfaction” successful the election. In 3 consequent telephone interviews connected Oct. 6 and 7 that spanned a full of 2 and a fractional hours, helium opened up astir his views.

The antheral said helium believed thousands of fake ballots were formed successful Arizona, repeating debunked claims. He said members of the media would look tribunals and beryllium executed similar the Nazi leaders who were hung aft the Nuremberg trials successful the 1940s and that perpetrators of predetermination fraud would beryllium sent to subject prison.

He said helium lived “in the woods,” and worked successful construction. He didn’t ain a gun, but said helium had “a shot bat and a machete.” He shared videos from the far-right website Bitchute and said helium watched “all kinds of worldly that decidedly needs to beryllium investigated.”

Then helium turned connected the Reuters journalists.

In an Oct. 11 voicemail, helium threatened to writer the reporters for obtaining his telephone fig from authorities records. Over the adjacent 25 days, helium texted them 91 times, sharing misinformation connected the origins of the coronavirus and different conspiracy theories. On Oct. 17, helium near the caller voicemails astatine the Vermont caput of state’s office, including the 1 threatening that the reporters and predetermination staffers would get “popped.”

The adjacent morning, the caller followed up with much texts to the journalists. “I americium going to destruct you and that is simply a threat.” In aggregate texts, helium said helium would “ruin” the beingness of 1 of the reporters. On Oct. 30, helium near 2 much voicemails for them. “You are each going to f—— hang. I’m going to marque definite of it,” said one. “Bad s— is gonna to hap to you,” said the other. “Your days are f—— numbered.”

He besides sent the reporters 4 messages with the aforesaid picture: a grainy black-and-white photograph of a nationalist execution that has been shared wide successful far-right societal media, with a caption claiming it showed “members of the media” hanging successful “Nuremberg, Germany.” (In fact, the photograph was taken successful Kiev, Ukraine, depicting Nazi officers being hung for warfare crimes.)

The man’s threats and the emergence successful extremism successful Vermont and nationwide since the predetermination are a interest for Peete and his tiny unit successful the Montpelier Police Department.

“It’s thing that keeps maine and each of america present up astatine night,” the constabulary main said.