The posts were allegedly made on the day of the Capitol insurrection by a person with the nickname @mailboxjoe. That person shared an online photo of the rally in DC and wrote: “Today is a day of choice. Today there will only be two parties in America. Traitors and Patriots! “
In another alleged post, @mailboxjoe appeared to threaten Pence.
“I hope you never sleep well again, @VP, your Act of Betrayal led to the murder of an innocent girl and the death of America. You are not a Godley man. I think @LLinWood was right about you all along. “
Twitter user L. Lin Wood, a lawyer who led an unsuccessful legal effort to overturn the results of the presidential election, accused Pence earlier that day on social media of being a traitor and communist and declared: “Prepare the firing squads. Pence goes FIRST. “
The Boston police and the Globe know the suspect’s identity, but the Globe is not citing him because he cannot confirm the authenticity of the messages. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment, nor did the Boston Police Patrolmen Association.
Another Twitter user took screenshots of @mailboxjoe’s posts, then shared them online with the Boston Police Department’s social media account and identified @mailboxjoe as a veteran officer. The department does not appear to have acted on that message prior to Globe’s investigations.
Boyle declined to go into details about the police investigation or say whether the department was investigating other officers who may have attended the January 6 rally. He said the department would investigate any allegations and pointed out that the FBI is also investigating misconduct on Capitol Hill.
An FBI spokeswoman in Boston said the agency’s investigation is being conducted by the agency’s Washington, DC office, although investigators here are helping. She would not confirm or deny any investigation.
The @mailboxjoe account has been deleted from the social media platform. The material on the web shows that the user previously identified himself as a “Beer drinker, navy veterinarian, constitutional conservative who believes in peace through force”. They used the image of a cartoon policeman and listed his location as “Title Town, USA, Boston Mass.”
In other posts filed online, @mailboxjoe shared conservative news, right-wing memes and messages expressing support for the police.
Across the country, police departments sought to identify whether officers went to the Capitol. The New York Police Department said it would proactively assist federal investigators in trying to identify whether their officers were involved, and Seattle police put two officers on leave after reports that they attended the Capitol protests.
Earlier this week, the Justice Department charged two Virginia police officers who, while off duty, attended the riots and entered the Capitol; they were identified in photos of the protesters inside the Capitol building.
Capitol Police reported that some protesters displayed badges to gain access to the building and avoid resistance.
Several buses overloaded with Massachusetts Trump supporters attended the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Capitol march.
On Thursday, the FBI announced the arrest the day before a New Hampshire man, Thomas Gallagher, 61, who allegedly joined the crowd inside the Capitol building and refused to leave. He was accused of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol land, and intentionally entering or remaining on restricted land without authority, and knowingly engaging in disorderly conduct in Capitol fields.
Milton J. Valencia can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @miltonvalencia.