Jeffries Called Christopher Moynihan a “Dangerous Individual Who Made a Credible Death Threat Against Me With Every Intention to Carry It Out.”
A New York man who had his Jan. 6 convictions wiped clean under President Donald Trump’s mass pardons has been arrested again—this time, for allegedly threatening to assassinate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Christopher P. Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, New York, is accused of sending violent text messages on Friday referring to Jeffries’ upcoming speech in New York City. “I cannot allow this terrorist to live,” Moynihan allegedly wrote, according to a state police report. He also said Jeffries “must be eliminated” and added, “I will kill him for the future.”
Authorities charged Moynihan with a felony count of making a terroristic threat. He was arraigned Sunday in Dutchess County and is due back in court Thursday.
Jeffries Responds: “He Should Never Have Been Pardoned”
Jeffries, a New York Democrat, thanked law enforcement for acting quickly.
“Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned,” Jeffries said in a statement Tuesday.
The New York State Police said the FBI alerted them to the threat on Saturday. Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi confirmed his office is reviewing the case for “legal and factual sufficiency,” warning that “threats made against elected officials and members of the public will not be tolerated.”
Trump’s Pardon List Under Fire Again
Moynihan was among hundreds of convicted Capitol rioters who received pardons from Trump on his first day back in the White House in January.
He had been sentenced to 21 months in prison for breaching police barricades, entering the Capitol’s Senate chamber, and rifling through materials on a senator’s desk during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper convicted him in 2022 of obstructing Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, among other riot-related charges.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had no details about the threat but condemned political violence broadly. “We denounce violence from anybody, anytime,” Johnson said. “Those people should be arrested and tried.”
