Two supporters of ex-President Donald Trump are now facing criminal charges in Michigan for threats that they made against Michigan officials including Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D), and Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens.
Michigan AG Dana Nessel: Two men are facing criminal charges for reportedly making threats against public officials in the events leading up to and following the general election. The threats were made against Sen. Debbie Stabenow and MI Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 23, 2021
Michigan state Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) commented as follows:
‘It is unacceptable and illegal to intimidate or threaten public officials. To those who think they can do so by hiding behind a keyboard or phone, we will find you and we will prosecute you, to the fullest extent of the law. No elected official should have to choose between doing their job and staying safe.’
In one case, 62-year-old Michigan resident Daniel Thompson left a threatening voicemail on January 5 at a Stabenow office. As summarized by a report from the Detroit Free Press, Thompson “identified himself as a Republican, said he was angry about the results of the November election, that he had joined a militia group and that there would be violence if the results of the election were not changed.”
Thompson also sent a threatening email to Stabenow’s office that “contained threatening remarks and vulgar language,” the Free Press adds. Thompson also targeted Slotkin with a threatening call on April 30 of last year and a more recent threatening call on January 19 of this year — the day before the presidential inauguration — that lasted for over an hour. In the latter call, Thompson spoke with a member of Slotkin’s staff and threatened violence. Now, Thompson “has been charged with three counts of malicious use of service provided by a telecommunications provider, a misdemeanor that can result in a six-month jail sentence and a $1,000 fine,” the Free Press says.
Slotkin commented as follows:
‘While I can’t comment on the specifics of an ongoing case, there are two broad points that are clear: Myself and my colleagues in elected office, particularly women, are unfortunately no strangers to violent, threatening calls and comments –– and it has got to stop.’
Meanwhile, 43-year-old Georgia resident Clinton Stewart has been charged with one count of malicious use of a telecommunications service over a threatening voicemail message that he left last September in which he targeted Judge Stephens and complained about “activist judges.” That month, Stephens ruled for mail-in ballots in Michigan to be counted up to two weeks after Election Day in order to account for Postal Service slowdowns, although this ruling was later overturned. Trump and his allies have repeatedly spread conspiracy theories about mail-in voting, falsely claiming that it was a vehicle for election fraud.
