During the early morning hours Wednesday, an armed California man was arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home after making threats to the justice’s life.
Supreme Court Public Information Officer Patricia McCabe confirmed the incident and said the man was transported to Montgomery County Police Department.
Reportedly, the suspect arrived near the residence and saw the federal marshalls on guard. He immediately walked away from the scene and called 911 on himself. The would-be assassin was taken into custody without incident on the street near the Kavanaugh residence. However, the suspect did not enter the Supreme Court Justice’s property.
The Department of Justice affidavit reports the suspect had a Glock 17 pistol in a suitcase and burglary tools including pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crowbar, pistol light, duct tape, hiking boots with padding on the outside of the soles.
The affidavit indicated the suspect was upset about the leaked draft opinion that could overturn Roe v. Wade and the Uvalde shooting. He stated that he thought the justice he intended to kill would side with the Second Amendment advocates and loosen gun control laws.
The suspect said he wanted to give his life purpose and when he found Kavanaugh’s address online, he decided killing him was the answer. He admitted he intended to use the burglary tools and weapon to break into the residence, kill the justice, then kill himself.
The suspect was charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 115, which bars attempting to kidnap or murder, or threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder federal judges.
On Wednesday morning, the Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino tweeted, “This is why leaks are dangerous. This is why doxxing justices is a bad idea. This is why justices’ homes should be off-limits.”
This is why leaks are dangerous.
This is why doxxing justices is a bad idea.
This is why justices' homes should be off limits.https://t.co/UTb2i8zRAL
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) June 8, 2022
She added, “The threat to the justices is not theoretical. Until the opinion is finally released, the justices are in grave danger,” and urged the Biden Administration to “stop appeasing the radicals” in his party.
The event comes after weeks of angry pro-abortion protests around conservative justices’ homes. Also, firebombing of pro-life pregnancy centers, vandalism of churches and the recent disruption of Lakewood Church’s Sunday morning service flourished.
Attorney General Merrick Garland denounced the suspect’s behavior.
“This kind of behavior is obviously behavior that we will not tolerate. Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices’, of course, strikes at the heart of our democracy,” Garland warned during a press conference. “We will do everything we can to prevent them and to hold people who do them accountable.”
“The president condemns the actions of this individual in the strongest terms and is grateful to law enforcement for quickly taking him into custody,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One en route to California.
Jean-Pierre went on to say that Biden was “consistently clear” that public officials, including judges, must be able to do their jobs without fear of threats, violence, or intimadation, for themselves or their families.
Although RNC Research pointed out in a tweet in early May, that the administration did not condemn protesting at the justice’s homes, even though 18 U.S.C. § 1507 prohibits picketing or parading near a judge’s residence “with the intent of influencing” the judge.
Jen Psaki says Biden has no position on pro-abortion activists posting a map of the HOME ADDRESSES of Supreme Court justices pic.twitter.com/MKoDJLr8CW
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 5, 2022
