Maxine Waters blasts judge’s decision to release Coast Guard officer accused of threatening her

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) on Friday blasted a federal judge’s decision to release a Coast Guard officer accused of plotting domestic terrorism with a hit list that included her and other prominent Democrats.

A federal judge in Maryland ruled Thursday that Christopher Hasson will be released on bail. Hasson has pleaded not guilty to gun and drug charges. But Hasson’s public defender argued that the government could not keep detaining him because he has not been charged with terrorism-related counts, according to CNN.

{mosads}Waters, the chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, called Hasson a “menace,” warning that he should be considered too dangerous to be allowed out of detention.

“There is no credible justification that can explain why a federal judge would allow someone as clearly dangerous and unrepentant as Hasson to walk free while he awaits trial,” Waters said in a statement.

Hasson is alleged to be a white supremacist who created a hit list that included Waters, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and anchors from CNN and MSNBC, among others.

Investigators also said they found at least 15 firearms and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his home.

Waters accused the Trump administration of not doing enough to ensure security for prominent Democrats like herself who have been targets. She noted that she has been the target of “several very serious threats from across the country” in the last year, including from a man who mailed explosive devices to media figures and top Democrats.

Waters has become a favorite among liberal activists in the past two years for her outspoken opposition to Trump. She was among the first Democrats to call for impeachment.

Waters now leads the Financial Services Committee, which is conducting an investigation into Trump’s business activities.

“Members of Congress must now recognize that many of us who have taken hardline positions against the Trump administration are walking targets and we must use every resource at our disposal to protect ourselves since we cannot expect any assistance from the current Administration,” Waters said. “Those of us in Congress and among the president’s ‘enemies of the people’ cannot be assured that Hasson would be kept at bay with the minimal level of oversight the federal judge would prescribe.”

Hasson’s attorney will propose guidelines for supervised release at another hearing. The judge, Charles Day, called for stringent supervision of Hasson.

“He’s got to have a whole lot of supervision,” Day said, according to CNN. “Somebody who’s got eyes and ears on him like nobody’s business.”