Man arrested after threats to Rep. Jim McDermott: 'I'll kill his family'
FBI agents arrest a California man who called Rep. Jim McDermott's Seattle office in December and left two threatening messages linked to the Democrat's stand on extending the Bush tax cuts.
President Barack Obama, joined by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, signs the bipartisan tax package in the White House complex, Friday, Dec. 17, 2010. The FBI have arrested Charles Turner Habermann for reportedly threatening to kill Rep. Jim McDermott for his position on the Bush tax cuts passed last month.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP/File
A Palm Springs, Calif., man was arrested on Wednesday on a federal charge that he threatened to kill Rep. James McDermott (D) of Washington because of the congressman鈥檚 stance in last month鈥檚 debate over whether to extend the Bush tax cuts.
FBI agents arrested Charles Turner Habermann for making two late-night cell phone calls to the congressman鈥檚 Seattle office Dec. 9. According to an FBI affidavit, Mr. Habermann has a history of contacting elected officials and received a warning from California law enforcement officials in March 2010.
鈥�Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, or George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, if any of them had ever met Jim McDermott, they would all blow his brains out. They鈥檇 shoot him in the head,鈥� Mr. Habermann, 32, allegedly said in a recorded voice mail message on Mr. McDermott鈥檚 office telephone.
Habermann was arrested four days after a 22-year-old community college dropout shot Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head and then kept shooting, killing six people and wounding 13 others in Tucson.
The shooting Saturday unleashed a heated national debate over whether political rhetoric can trigger violence by unstable individuals. It also prompted an examination of how best to protect elected officials.
鈥淵ou let that [deleted] [deleted] [deleted] know, that if he ever [deleted] around with my money, ever the [deleted] again, I鈥檒l [deleted] kill him, okay,鈥� Habermann said, according to a sworn FBI affidavit on file in federal court.
'I'll kill his family'
鈥淚鈥檒l round them up,鈥� he added. 鈥淚鈥檒l kill them. I鈥檒l kill his friends, I鈥檒l kill his family, I will kill everybody he [deleted] knows.鈥�
Ten minutes later, Habermann called back and left another message. Just as in the first call, he began by offering his real name and his telephone number. Then he left a second, similar, message.
Habermann took issue with McDermott鈥檚 characterization of the issues in the tax debate. He said Democratic members of Congress were 鈥渟tealing鈥� money from 鈥渢he wealthy鈥� and giving it away to 鈥渓osers.鈥� He said McDermott would never get away with it.
鈥淚鈥檒l [deleted] hunt that guy down and I鈥檒l [deleted] get rid of him,鈥� Habermann said, according to the affidavit. 鈥淒o you understand that? I鈥檒l get the [deleted] rid of him. I鈥檒l pay people, I鈥檒l pay my friends, I, I grew up in Chicago just like your [deleted] [deleted] [deleted] Jim McDermott did.鈥�
Later in the message, Habermann adds: 鈥淚 hate Jim McDermott. I hate his family. I hate his kids. I hate everybody. 鈥� I could round them all up, you know, I could look for them.鈥�
Suspect says he was drinking
The following day, FBI agents arrived at Habermann鈥檚 home and confronted him with the recorded messages. According to the affidavit, Habermann admitted leaving the voice mail messages and a third message for a congresswoman identified only by the initials C.P. He told the agents he had been drinking alcohol prior to making the calls.
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is a Maine Democrat and critic of extending the Bush tax cuts who was just reelected to a second term. Her office refused comment when contacted by the Associated Press.
Habermann said he made the telephone calls to try to scare members of Congress into voting to extend the Bush tax cuts, but that he never had any intention of hurting anyone, the affidavit says.
It says Habermann has a $3 million trust fund.
Habermann also acknowledged that in March 2010 he had left voice mail messages for a member of the California Assembly. In one of those messages he allegedly said he wasn鈥檛 going to kill anyone, but that the assembly member should 鈥渨atch his back.鈥�
He also said that the Founding Fathers, if they were alive today, would kill President Obama and other officials, according to court documents.
Five days earlier, Habermann had met in the assemblyman鈥檚 office to discuss a pending health-care bill. He allegedly told the unidentified assemblyman that he was wealthy and did not want to support immigrants and Latinos.
'Agitated' and 'paranoid'
鈥淗abermann was described as agitated, paranoid, uneasy and couldn鈥檛 keep still,鈥� the affidavit says.
After the three encounters in March, officers with the California Highway Patrol interviewed Habermann. According to court documents, Habermann told them that he was intoxicated and had been smoking marijuana when he left the voicemails. He told the officers he used marijuana for his depression.
The officers gave him a warning.
Habermann is charged with threatening a federal official. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
鈥淲e are blessed to live in a country that guarantees and protects the freedom to disagree with our government and speak our minds. That protection, however, does not extend to threats or acts of violence,鈥� US Attorney Jenny Durkan said in a statement.
鈥淭hose actions are intended to silence debate, not further it. They instill fear not just in the immediate victims, but in many who might hold the same views or take the same course,鈥� she said. 鈥淪uch threats are crimes.鈥�