American Justice Minister Merrick Garland denounced on Friday a “deeply worrying” increase in the number of threats targeting people holding public authority.
“These violent threats are unacceptable,” Mr. Garland thundered in front of journalists on the eve of the third anniversary of the assault on the Capitol, on January 6, 2021, by supporters of Donald Trump, ultra favorite for the Republican nomination in 2024 .
“They threaten the foundation of our democracy,” he added.
The minister pointed to a “deeply worrying increase in threats against people holding public authority in the final months of 2023”.
The Department of Justice has investigated and charged perpetrators of violent threats against FBI agents, federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, presidential candidates, members of Congress, members of the army and election officials, he said.
“This week, several bomb threats were made against courthouses across the country,” Merrick Garland continued. A person was also arrested Thursday and charged with making death threats against a member of Congress and his children.
A man threw himself at a Las Vegas judge in full court on Wednesday, when he understood that she was preparing to send him to prison for an assault and battery case.
The incident, filmed by court cameras, quickly went viral on social media.
“This is a small snapshot of a larger trend that includes threats of violence against those who organize elections, keep us safe, teach our children, inform us, represent voters, and provide security public,” underlined Mr. Garland.
He said the assault on the Capitol represented “an unprecedented attack on the cornerstone of our system of government – the peaceful transition of power from one government to another.”
More than 1,250 people have been charged in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack and more than 890 have been convicted.
Trump was criminally charged with attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, won by his Democratic rival Joe Biden, and playing a role in the storming of the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
