A 30-year-old New Hampshire man is facing federal charges after authorities say he sent text messages threatening to kill Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Tyler Anderson, of Dover, was scheduled to appear Monday afternoon in Concord federal court on the charge, which could have sent him to prison for up to five years.
According to investigators, Anderson responded to a text message from the Ramaswamy campaign advertising a Monday morning breakfast event in Portsmouth
“Good, another chance for me to blow [Ramaswamy’s] brains out!,” Anderson allegedly replied, according to court documents.
In a follow-up message, investigators said, Anderson warned: “I’m going to kill everyone present and then f— their bodies.”
Court documents did not identify Ramaswamy as the threatened candidate, but details of the event matched the biotech entrepreneur’s campaign calendar, and a spokeswoman confirmed the 38-year-old was the subject of Anderson’s threats.
Ramaswamy’s campaign expressed gratitude to law enforcement for dealing with the threat. AP The threat was in response to a campaign text message advertising Ramaswamy’s breakfast. US Attorney’s Office
“We thank law enforcement for their speed and professionalism in handling this matter and pray for the safety of all Americans,” Tricia McLaughlin told The Post.
When authorities arrested Anderson on Saturday, they found similar messages on his phone responding to a different campaign.
“Great, now I know where to go so I can blow that bastard’s head off,” read one message on December 6, while the follow-up read: “Hope you have the stamina to shoot a bunch!”
The presidential candidate made his latest return to New Hampshire over the weekend. AFP via Getty Images
The court documents did not identify the candidate who had been subject to previous threats, but the campaign message used the phrase “tell it like it is,” a statement attributed to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
In a statement on Monday evening, Ramaswamy said: “We are grateful to law enforcement for their speed and professionalism in handling this matter. Our security team works closely with the New Hampshire state police, who are among the best in the country. We will let the investigators do their work and find out who these people are and what their motives are.
“However I will say this: we keep hearing about January 6th and ‘violence’ and ‘extremism on the right’ from the media, but the same media is silent when the target is Republicans. Crazy voices and left-wing cranks like Keith Olbermann and Steve Schmidt continue to vilify Republicans and question our loyalty to the country. No wonder fanatics will take action. Anytime with an alleged right-wing view, the media is quick to blame all conservatives for inciting violence. Yet the media never look in the mirror and see that they are fueling hatred and violence by questioning our patriotism and motives and accusing us of undermining democracy.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and outsider candidate, launched his campaign in February. AFP via Getty Images
Anderson faces one count of sending interstate threats to injure, according to court documents.
In addition to the prison sentence, he could receive up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Ramaswamy polled at an average of 7% in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s Jan. 23 primary, according to RealClearPolitics.
Former President Donald Trump leads the pack with an average of 45.7% support, followed by former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (18.7%), Christie (11.3%), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (7.7%) and Ramaswamy.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
