Ohio Man Indicted for Threatening to Kill Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez After Trump Attacked Her. Trump Is an Epidemic Contagion of Racist Violence.
August 10, 2019
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (nrkbeta)
By Oliver Willis
A Trump supporter was indicted on Friday for making death threats against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The threats were posted online one day after Trump attacked Ocasio-Cortez and three other Democratic congresswomen of color.
“Timothy J. Ireland, Jr., 41, was charged in U.S. District Court in Toledo with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of being a fugitive in possession of a firearm and one count of making interstate threats,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
The DOJ said the U.S. Capitol Police received information on July 23 about threatening statements Ireland posted on Facebook.
“A screen shot was provided to USCP of a news story related to the member of Congress with linked comments that stated: ‘She should be shot. Can’t fire me, my employer would load the gun for me,'” the department noted.
Charging documents reveal that when Ireland was questioned about the post by Lawrence Anyaso, a special agent with the Capitol Police, he said he was “very proud” of the post he had made.
A search warrant was executed on Ireland’s home on Aug. 2. They found .32-caliber and .45-caliber ammunition.
The day before Ireland posted his threat, Trump tweeted his attack on Ocasio-Cortez.
“The ‘Squad’ is a very Racist group of troublemakers who are young, inexperienced, and not very smart. They are pulling the once great Democrat Party far left, and were against humanitarian aid at the Border…And are now against ICE and Homeland Security. So bad for our Country!” he wrote.
That was part of a campaign that started several days before, when Trump told Ocasio-Cortez — along with Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar — to “go back” where they came from.
Ireland’s Facebook page, which is still online, shows several pro-Trump, anti-Democratic posts. One meme he posted reads, “We hated Obama like you hate Trump.” Another referred to President Barack Obama as the leader of ISIS.
He also praised Trump for declaring a national emergency at the southern border “to aid America,” and claimed that Obama had declared national emergencies to aid several foreign countries.
The arrest follows the recent sentencing of the Trump-inspired would-be serial bomber Cesar Sayoc, as well as threats that have been made against Omar after she was targeted by Trump.
The mass shooter in El Paso made many of the same racist arguments in his manifesto that Trump has often made, including describing immigrants as an “invasion.”
Trump’s words are inspiring bombers, killers, and would-be assailants around the country.
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