Man accused of sending threats to family of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries during Capitol siege
A California man is accused of threatening relatives of U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on the day of the Capitol attack.
Robert Lemke was arrested Tuesday in California after a criminal complaint charged him with “making threatening interstate communications,” according to the U.S. Justice Department. The complaint says Lemke sent threatening texts to the New York-based congressman’s brother and sister-in-law and to a relative of an unidentified journalist.
The complaint does not name Jeffries, but he told MSNBC he was the congressman referenced in the complaint.
On Jan. 6, Lemke — who the Justice Department says was unhappy with the presidential election results — texted Jeffries’ brother a photo of a home in his neighborhood along with the threats, according to the complaint.
“Your brother is putting your entire family at risk with his lies and other words,” the text said, according to the complaint. “We are armed and nearby your house. You had better have a word with him. We are not far from his either. Already spoke to (Jeffries’ son) and know where his kids are.”
He went on to tell Jeffries’ brother “your words have consequences.”
“Stop telling lies; Biden did not win, he will not be president,” the text said. “We are not white supremacists. Most of us are active/retired law enforcement or military. You are putting your family at risk. We have armed members near your home . . . Don’t risk their safety with your words and lies.”
The texts came the same day a mob in support of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol as Congress was convened to certify the Electoral College results.
At a rally that day, Trump urged his supporters to march on Capitol Hill. Rioters then did and laid siege on the building. They broke into the U.S. Senate chamber and reached the doors of the U.S. House of Representatives chamber — forcing lawmakers to evacuate.
Lawmakers from both parties have, at least in part, blamed the attack on Trump’s rhetoric. Earlier this month, he was impeached for a second time for “incitement of insurrection.”
Lemke also sent texts to the wife of Jeffries’ brother, telling her to “calm your husband down,” the complaint says.
When Jeffries’ sister-in-law asked who it was, Lemke responded, “does that matter?”
“We saw on the hidden camera, he was quite stirred up. You need to have him talk to (Jeffries),” the text said, according to the complaint. “Thanks.”
The same day, the complaint says, Lemke sent threats to the relative of a journalist, referenced as “Journalist-1.”
“[Journalist-1’s] words are putting you and your family at risk,” the text said. “We are nearby armed and ready. Thousands of us are active/retired law enforcement, military, etc. That’s how we do it.”
During the Capitol attack, rioters also targeted journalists.
“Murder the media” was carved into a door, The Washington Post reports, and the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker said shortly after it was monitoring several reports of assaults, equipment damage, threats and harassment on members of the press.
Trump had repeatedly lodged attacks against the media, calling them the “enemy of the people.”
The complaint says Lemke claimed on his Facebook page to be a former law enforcement officer and military veteran and had previously posted about the election results.
“Folks. Be ready for war,” he posted Nov. 7, according to the complaint. “Trump has refused to cede. Evidence shows fraud occurred and the Supreme Court cases will be successful. We blockchained and watermarked ballots in 16 states. Trump will prevail. Spread this message.”
There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election despite Trump’s initial refusal to concede and unsuccessful efforts to overturn the results.
Jeffries called the messages “unnerving.”
“It was clearly designed to instill terror, and I’m just thankful that law enforcement officials have apprehended this individual and will allow the process to play itself out,” he told MSNBC on Tuesday. “But we can’t allow the radicalization of these individuals to go without consequence, and a former president of the United States is responsible for this type of activity.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Man accused of sending threats to family of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries during Capitol siege."
