Pardoned Jan 6 Rioter Arrested For Threatening To Kill Top Democrat

A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was arrested Sunday for allegedly threatening to kill one of the top Democrats in Congress.

New York State Police announced the arrest of Christopher Moynihan on Sunday with the help of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Moynihan had been serving a 21-month prison sentence when he and 1,500 other rioters were pardoned by Trump in January.

On Tuesday, CBS News reported Moynihan had sent a text message about killing House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

“Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live,” Moynihan allegedly wrote, according to court documents obtained by CBS News. “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future.”

Jeffries said he was grateful to police for making the arrest.

“The person arrested, along with thousands of violent felons who stormed the US Capitol during the January 6th attack, was pardoned by Donald Trump on the President’s very first day in office,” Jeffries said Tuesday. “Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Tuesday morning he hadn’t heard of the case.

“Terrible. First I’ve heard of that,” Johnson said. “I don’t know anything about it, but anybody who threatens to kill any political official, we denounce it absolutely, they ought to have justice fall upon their head.”

Asked if it was a mistake for Trump to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters, Johnson pivoted, saying it’s not Republicans who support political violence.

“I will tell you this: Violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. Don’t make me go through the list,” Johnson said. “This is the left in almost every case that is advancing this, and not the right. So let’s not make it a partisan issue.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Moynihan was sent to prison in 2023 after having been found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding and several misdemeanors relating to his infiltration of the Capitol. He was one of the rioters who actually walked onto the Senate floor after lawmakers had escaped the rampaging mob.

A spokeswoman for the New York State Police told HuffPost the U.S. Capitol Police, who provide security for members of Congress, participated in the investigation: “We worked with all of our law enforcement partners on this investigation, including the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office.”

HuffPost asked Jeffries if it was plausible Speaker Johnson hadn’t heard of the case before Tuesday, two days after police arrested the suspect.

“Well, that’s not clear, and that, you know, is for people to judge the credibility of that response,” Jeffries said.

The Capitol Police did not respond to a request for comment.

At least 10 other Jan. 6 pardon recipients have been arrested, charged or sentenced for some other crime so far this year, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Speaking to reporters alongside Jeffries, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said many Jan. 6 rioters had criminal records before they stormed the Capitol. He faulted the Trump administration for giving them all pardons or commutations without making any effort to screen their backgrounds.

“And what do you know after this mass pardon happens? People start getting picked up again,” Raskin said.