A grand jury has indicted a Missouri man on charges of threatening two Democratic congressmen.
The Justice Department announced Wednesday that Kenneth R. Hubert was indicted Feb. 23 on charges of threatening to assault and murder Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). Prosecutors allege Hubert threatened Cohen in a call to his Washington, D.C., office on May 6, 2019, and that he threatened Cleaver on Jan. 7, 2021. It does not specify how he allegedly threatened Cleaver.
“The director of the [FBI] field office in Kansas City called me a couple hours ago and told me his agents had just arrested someone for threats on me,” Cleaver told The Kansas City Star, “and that their office was being very vigilant in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 uprising.”
Cleaver told the newspaper he had first heard of the threat against him from Cohen and informed his staff.
“I didn’t even know that this guy had made a threat. It was completely news to me when Steve Cohen told me,” the Missouri congressman said.
The announcement comes amid reports of threats to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday from followers of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory who believe former President Trump will reassume the presidency on that date.
The case is set to be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. Hubert, who is currently in federal custody, has a detention hearing set for Monday, according to the Justice Department.