DOJ touts cases against 4 men for threats against election officials

The Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force (ETTF) released a connection Thursday giving updates connected 4 men successful antithetic states accused of harassing predetermination officials arsenic Nov. 5 nears.

Teak Brockbank, 45, from Colorado, pleaded blameworthy Wednesday to threatening 2 predetermination officials, a justice and national instrumentality enforcement agents betwixt September 2021 and July of this year.

Florida antheral Richard Kantwill, 61, was charged Monday with sending a menace to an predetermination authoritative successful February. He’s besides accused of menacing 3 different radical “based connected their governmental commentary successful 2019 and 2020.”

Also connected Monday, 62-year-old Philadelphia nonmigratory John Pollard was charged for allegedly threatening to termination a Pennsylvania authoritative recruiting canvass watchers, according to the ETTF.

A 4th man, 60-year-old Brian Ogstad from Alabama, was sentenced this week to 30 months successful situation for threatening unit against Arizona predetermination workers aft that state‘s 2022 primaries.

“As we attack Election Day, the Justice Department’s informing remains clear: Anyone who illegally threatens an predetermination worker, authoritative oregon unpaid volition look the consequences,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said successful a connection addressing the aforementioned developments.

The Nov. 5 predetermination is expected to beryllium hotly contested. Statistic experts astatine FiveThirtyEight amusement Democratic campaigner Kamala Harris starring Republican nominee Donald Trump by less than two points.

Many Trump followers became violent aft helium mislaid the 2020 predetermination and falsely claimed the process was rigged. The 78-year-old Queens autochthonal continues repeating those claims and informing that adjacent month’s ballot could be fixed against him.

“The information that predetermination workers request to beryllium disquieted astir their information is incomprehensible and unacceptable,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said successful the DOJ’s statement.