ATLANTA – A Georgia man has been arraigned on federal charges after allegedly calling the offices of U.S. senators and threatening them with sexual violence, prosecutors said Monday.
What we know:
Robert Davis Forney, 25, of Duluth, appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge on charges of communicating threats in interstate commerce. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Forney on June 10.
According to court records and prosecutors, Forney called the office of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, twice on Jan. 9, leaving voicemails that included threats of sexual violence against the senator and his family. The following day, he allegedly left a similar threatening message at the office of Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.
What they’re saying:
“Threatening our elected officials and their families is an act of violence that undermines our entire democracy,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. “Political discourse and disagreements never justify resorting to vile attacks against our nation’s leaders.”
The investigation is being led by the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police.
“Targeting public officials with threatening messages is a serious federal crime,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Atlanta field office. “There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States.”
Acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Sean Gallagher added that threats against members of Congress are becoming more frequent and are taken seriously.
“Our Department’s mission to protect the Members of Congress is critical and we will not tolerate any threat to their safety,” Gallagher said. “The men and women of the United States Capitol Police work around the clock to investigate thousands of threat cases every year – a number that only seems to be growing.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting the case.
Dig deeper:
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative that combines efforts of the Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, and Project Safe Neighborhoods. The program aims to combat violent crime and protect communities from threats, including political violence.
The Source: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia provided the details and quotes for this article.
