Recently revealed emails show that the Secret Service notified the U.S. Capitol Police of an online threat against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi days before the Capitol riot.
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington received the emails via a public records request. They show a threat made by a Parler user on Dec. 31, 2020, listing several “enemies,” including Mrs. Pelosi.
“Jan. 6 starts #1776 all over again!! Fight for EVERYTHING,” the post read.
The user, @unleashedpatriots, added Mrs. Pelosi on a list of targets that included President Biden, former President Barack Obama, former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the mainstream media.
Mrs. Pelosi is not protected by the Secret Service, and threats made against high-profile public officials are common. Capitol Police are responsible for protecting members of Congress.
The Secret Service flagged a Jan. 4, 2021, post by the user that threatened Mr. Biden: “We cannot allow #Biden to enter the White House.”
Previous posts by the user expressed that Mr. Biden would die after the election.
“Biden will die shortly after being elected. Patriots are gonna tear his head off. Prison is his best case scenario,” one post read.
At the time, the Secret Service said it could not identify the user because of a lack of information. It’s unclear if the user’s identity was discovered later.
The Secret Service said it does not comment on issues pertaining to protective intelligence, adding that the agency has an “outstanding working relationship” with all law enforcement agencies in the national capital region.
“The Secret Service works tirelessly to share pertinent information with our law enforcement partners. In the communication where there was a reference to Speaker Pelosi, that information was provided to the U.S. Capitol Police for their situational awareness,” said agency spokesman Steven Kopek.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.