Mississippi News
Man charged with sending death threats to Rep. Bennie Thompson and Biden
Man charged with sending death threats to Rep. Bennie Thompson and Biden
A Pennsylvania man is facing federal charges for allegedly sending a death threat to U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the chair of the House Jan. 6 Committee that is investigating efforts to overthrow the results of the November 2020 presidential election.
Thompson, who represents Mississippi's 2nd congressional district, reported just before the last round of public hearings by the Jan. 6 Committee that his Washington, D.C., office had received a suspicious item in the mail.
Robert Maverick Vargo, who is 25 years old, was also charged with threatening President Joe Biden, according to Axios and other national media outlets. Vargo faces charges of threatening the President of the United States, interstate communications with a threat and influencing a federal official by threat.
The letter to Thompson contained a white power, but it was determined not to be dangerous.
The letter, according to Axios, referenced Thompson's leadership of the Jan. 6 Committee that recently subpoenaed former President Donald Trump over efforts to throw out millions of votes and overturn the results of the election. The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was part of that effort.
The letter to Thompson read, in part, according to Axios: “Im going to kill you! I will make you feel the rest of our pain & suffering. There is nowhere or nobody who can keep you from me. I am going to kill you & those you love. I promise you that I will keep my promise until the day of my death. … You & Joe Biden soon will face death for the wrongs you've done to US.”
Thompson has been vocal in his belief that the committee he chairs is important to preserving the right to vote for all American citizens.
“I want, as an African American, to be able to say to the world that I helped stabilize our government when insurrectionists tried to take over,” Thompson told CNN in the summer before the hearings began.
READ MORE: ‘An attempted coup': Rep. Bennie Thompson tells the world what happened on Jan. 6, 2021
Thompson — the dean of the Mississippi congressional delegation and indeed someone who has worked to avoid the limelight — has built his long political career on protecting democracy.
As a young adult in the 1960s, he worked to register African Americans to vote and to ensure votes were counted. Now leading the Jan. 6 Commission, he is effectively doing similar work: ensuring that legally cast votes are counted and that the nation's representative democracy is protected from any future efforts to overturn the results of an election.
Thompson was selected to chair the special Jan. 6 Committee because of his leadership of the House's Homeland Security Committee.
READ MORE: Rep. Bennie Thompson's Mississippi colleagues have no comment on his Jan. 6 hearings
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Fire damages 8 units at Ridgeland apartment complex
SUMMARY: A fire damaged eight units at a Ridgeland apartment complex on Old Canton Road. The fire occurred early Thursday morning and flames were found coming from the roof of the apartment. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Madison firefighters also assisted at the scene.
The post Fire damages 8 units at Ridgeland apartment complex appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Jackson man killed in motorcycle crash in Warren County
SUMMARY: A 48-year-old Jackson man was killed in a motorcycle crash on Highway 27 South near Country Brown Road in Warren County. The crash occurred just after 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24. The man, identified as Herman East, was ejected from his 2007 Harley Davidson after running off the road and was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
The post Jackson man killed in motorcycle crash in Warren County appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Ridgeland man sentenced for molesting girl
SUMMARY: Ronnie Hales, a 44-year-old man from Ridgeland, pled guilty to gratification of lust by molesting his then-girlfriend's 10-year-old daughter. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of early release or parole and will have to register as a sex offender upon release. The abuse was reported to Ridgeland police in February 2023, leading to an investigation that included a forensic interview of the child. Evidence was found at Hales' home, and multiple state agencies collaborated to secure the conviction. District Attorney Bubba Bramlett expressed gratitude for the teamwork and hopes the child can find closure and move forward.
The post Ridgeland man sentenced for molesting girl appeared first on www.wjtv.com
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