A Texas man who participated in the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6 was accused of threatening to “assassinate” New York Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Texas’s Garret Miller faces five criminal charges stemming from his participation in the pro-Trump riot, including “intentionally entering or staying in any buildings or restricted areas without legal authority” and making threats.
According to court documents, he allegedly tweeted: “Murder AOC”.
He is also accused of violent entry and disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds, obstructing or impeding any official procedure, and certain acts during civil disorder.
Asked to comment on Saturday, Miller’s lawyer, Clint Broden, said in an email: “The accusations are based on an inappropriate comment made in the heat of the moment on Congressman Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitter feed.”
On Friday night, Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democratic MP from New York, responded to the news that Miller had been arrested and posted a selfie on Facebook, writing that “I just wanted to incriminate myself a little lol”.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: “Well, you did!”
She added: “On the one hand you have to laugh, and on the other you know that the reason [the Capitol rioters] if that boldness is because they thought they would succeed. “
Miller would also have said that an officer who shot and killed a Trump supporter inside the Capitol “deserves to die” and would not “survive long” because he is “hunting[g] season”.
Broden said: “Mr. Miller regrets the actions he took in a wrong effort to show his support for former President Trump. He has the full support of his family and has always been a law-abiding citizen.
“Your comments on social media reflect a very poorly thought-out political hyperbole in very divided times and will certainly not be repeated in the future. He’s looking forward to leaving it all behind. “
The criminal complaint filed in the federal court in Washington DC lists example after example of social media posts apparently putting Miller on Capitol grounds, participating in the riot.
Several hours after the insurrection, the authorities claim, the Twitter user @garretamiller publicly posted a video from inside the Capitol with the caption: “From inside congress”.
“When examining Miller’s Facebook account, there are many posts related to his involvement in criminal activities on Capitol Hill,” officials wrote.
On January 2, Miller allegedly wrote on Facebook: “I’m about to cross the country because of this bullshit trump card. On Monday … Some crazy shit is going to happen this week. The dollar could collapse … the civil war could start … I’m not sure what to do in DC. “
On January 3, Miller reportedly said he was bringing to Washington “a hook and rope and a level 3 vest. Mouthguards and a bump cap.” The last time he was in Washington for a pro-Trump rally, Miller allegedly added, he “had a lot of weapons” with him.
Miller also seems to have sought to clarify things about the participants in the riot. When someone wrote on Twitter that “the people who are attacking the Capitol are not patriots. They are PAID INFILTRATORS, ”Miller allegedly replied,“ Nah we invaded him. We where [sic] □ Kind. We where [sic] unarmed. We knew what had to be done. “
In a Facebook chat on January 15, Miller allegedly wrote that he was “happy to make death threats, so I was off track tonight lol” and was “happy to be banned now [from Twitter]”. Asked if the police knew his name, he allegedly wrote: “[I]it may be time for me … to be difficult to locate. “
A bail hearing was scheduled for Monday.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, reported that the FBI and the Justice Department were considering failing to charge some of the hundreds of people arrested during the riot.
It was “a politically charged proposal,” said the newspaper, “but a warning to the practical concern that hundreds of such cases could flood the local court.”
Donald Trump was accused of inciting the attack on the Capitol. He will face trial in the Senate.