The Justice Department charged a Virginia man on Tuesday for allegedly sending a threatening textual content message to presidential envoy and Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell.
Scott Bolger has been accused of “transmitting threats in interstate commerce and making false statements,” in keeping with a Justice Department press release.
While the press launch and courtroom paperwork don’t embody Grenell’s title — as a substitute referring to him as a federal worker — Grenell confirmed on X that he was the sufferer of the risk.
“I am grateful to (Attorney General) Pam Bondi, (FBI Director) Kash Patel and Lindsey Halligan for finding this deranged individual and locking him up,” Grenell stated in a publish. Halligan, who served because the interim US lawyer for the Eastern District of Virginia, was just lately stripped of her title.
The Justice Department additionally shared with NCS Grenell’s sufferer assertion that was learn aloud in courtroom, during which he stated, “In my current role as a Presidential Envoy, I have been attacked and harassed by people who don’t know me and who simply want to leave nasty, rude and angry messages because I don’t share their political viewpoint. But I strongly believe it is their right to be bitter and angry. I understand the passion. And I think the freedom to be rude and angry is a cherished right.”
“But today is much different,” Grenell continued within the assertion. “Today we are dealing with someone who went far beyond sharing his angry opinion. Today we see a man who wants to kill someone because of their political differences.”
“People need to understand the difference between calls for better policy and calls for violence,” he added.
Bolger’s lawyer declined to remark when reached by NCS.
In a abstract of information submitted to courtroom by a federal officer, Bolger allegedly used a unique cellphone quantity by means of Google Voice to ship a threatening textual content message to Grenell on December 23.
Bolger’s cellphone quantity was listed as a restoration quantity for the Google Voice account, which allowed the FBI to determine Bolger, in keeping with the courtroom submitting.
A day later, legislation enforcement officers tried to interview Bolger at his house however he “denied that anyone named Scott Bolger lived” there, the federal officer stated within the submitting. Bolger recognized himself as “Brian Black.”
The officers then confirmed with an house constructing worker that Bolger lived within the house, the courtroom submitting stated. Bolger ultimately admitted his identification and to looking for Grenell’s cellphone quantity on-line, calling him to substantiate the quantity after which sending the threatening textual content by means of Google Voice, in keeping with the submitting.
Bolger now faces as much as 5 years in jail if convicted, in keeping with the Justice Department. He stays in custody whereas awaiting trial.
The alleged risk to Grenell comes as Trump and his allies, together with Grenell, have overhauled the Kennedy Center, a performing arts establishment in Washington, DC. NCS has reached out to the Kennedy Center for remark.
During Trump’s first time period, Grenell was the US ambassador to Germany and served because the performing director of nationwide intelligence.