Individual Apprehended for Internet Waylays Instilling Dread in American Voting Officials
Death Threats Against Election Officials: The Unsettling Reality
Brace yourselves, folks. If you're one of the internet folk making death threats against election officials in the United States, it's high time you start sweating. The U.S. Department of Justice isn't playing around, and they're coming for the most deranged rabble-rousers before Election Day.
Consider this your fair warning. Anyone uttering death threats against agencies like the FBI? You might want to watch your back. Just last week, a Colorado man, Teak Brockbank, appeared in court after being arrested for making online death threats against election officials, judges, and federal agencies such as the CIA, ATF, and FBI.
Brockbank, a 45-year-old from Cortez, Colorado, has been caught spewing death threats on right-wing social media platforms Gab and Rumble, favorites among Trump supporters, anti-Semites, white supremacists, and other extremists. Between September 2021 and August 2022, his threats were rampant.
One message, aimed at election workers in Colorado and Arizona, read ominously, "Once those people start getting put to death, then the rest will melt like snowflakes and turn on each other... This is the only way. So those of us that have the stomach for what has to be done should prepare our minds for what we'll all do!!!"
Another message was directed at the CIA, FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, claiming, "ATF CIA FBI show up to my house, I am shooting them pieces of shit first. No Warning!! Then I will call the sheriff!!!"
Yet another message was targeted at a Colorado state judge, "I could pick up my rifle and put a bullet in this Man's head and send him to explain himself to our Creator right now. I would be Justified!!! Not only justified but obligated by those in my family who fought and died for the freedom in this country... What can I do other than kill this Man myself?"
The FBI Denver Field Office and the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force are on this case. In a statement, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said, "Violent threats against public servants are a danger to our democracy, and the arrest and charges announced today make clear that the Justice Department will see to it that perpetrators answer for their actions."
Brockbank faces up to five years in federal prison for these threats. And he's not the only one facing charges as the various arms of the U.S. government aim to remove the most dangerous extremists from the streets before the upcoming election.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, announced, "Public servants must be able to do their jobs without fear. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who target public officials with threats of violence."
In these troubling times, we see an uptick in threats against lawmakers and government officials. However, the specific details regarding current investigations targeting these threats are scarce. Historically, some charges have been pursued against individuals making death threats, like the case in 2022 where a Minnesota man was indicted by federal prosecutors for making death threats against Senator Thom Tillis[1].
In summary, while we're seeing an increase in concerning threats, updates on current investigations specifically targeting threats against election officials are not widely reported. However, with the U.S. Department of Justice cracking down on the most unhinged individuals, it's clear that the dangers posed by such threats won't be ignored.
The FBI and Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force are targeting individuals who make death threats against agencies like the FBI, as demonstrated by the recent arrest of Teak Brockbank from Cortez, Colorado. Brockbank, a frequent user of right-wing social media platforms, was threatened with five years in federal prison for his online death threats. The future of such investigations suggests a probable continued crackdown on extremists who pose a threat to the safety of election officials. The technology used to spread these threats could potentially melt away as the dangers of such actions are brought to light.
