Chad Christopher Stark, a Texas man who posted to the online marketplace Craigslist to advocate for the murder of various individuals involved with running the 2020 elections in Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal offense and is facing the possibility of up to two years in prison.
Stark admitted to one count of sending a threat using a telecommunications device. The threat that he posted seemingly came just before the Capitol riot. The Justice Department did not name the individuals who Stark was threatening in its description of his prior actions, though context clues suggest Georgia GOP Governor Brian Kemp was among those Stark had in mind in some capacity as he encouraged others to take up arms. Kemp infamously refused to go along with Trump’s desperation to alter the 2020 presidential election’s outcome.
“It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force,” Stark said. “If we want our country back we have to exterminate these people. One good loyal Patriot deer hunter in camo and a rifle can send a very clear message to these corrupt governors.. milita up Georgia it’s time to spill blood.”
“Today’s guilty plea plainly shows that anyone who threatens election officials online will be investigated by the FBI and held accountable for their words,” remarked Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.
The FBI has also been reported to be involved in looking into violent threats made against individuals involved in the process that produced criminal charges for ex-President Donald Trump and 18 others in Georgia, where the group is accused of involvement in a criminal conspiracy to target the state’s election results from the 2020 presidential contest. Trump has sometimes been accused of directly helping facilitate threats of violence with his public rhetoric. He has frequently called out — by name — various individuals involved in the criminal proceedings against him, targeting them in personal terms and encouraging dramatic action.
