Man arrested for threatening to kill Eric Cantor and wife
The Politico reports (via Memeorandum):
Federal authorities have arrested a Philadelphia man and charged him with threatening to kill House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and his family.
Norman Leboon will be charged with two federal counts: threatening to kill a member of Congress and interfering with his federal duties, and posting video online containing such threats. He is scheduled to appear in federal district court in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon.
The arrest is the most serious in a string of threats of violence against lawmakers in wake of the divisive health care vote. At least 10 Democrats along with a handful of Republicans, including Cantor, reported threats of violence during the past week.
“At this time, the congressman will have no further comment on this threat or the investigation, and asks that inquiries be directed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring said. “The congressman is deeply grateful for, and would like to dearly thank all local and federal law enforcement involved, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney’s Office[s] in Virginia and Philadelphia, U.S. Capitol Police and the Henrico Police Department in Virginia.”
In a video posted on YouTube, Leboon said Cantor was a “liar, you’re a Lucifer, you’re a pig, a greedy [expletive] pig.” He also seemed to refer to a bullet found in Cantor’s office last week and said it will be placed in his head. Richmond Police had originally discounted the bullet as a stray. It is unclear whether the FBI will expand the investigation into the Richmond bullet.
Leboon faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of both charges.
According to an FBI affidavit, the investigation moved swiftly. On March 26, the FBI’s San Francisco office got a copy of a YouTube video in which Leboon allegedly made threats to kill Cantor and his “cupcake evil wife.”
Leboon’s video also makes reference to Cantor’s Judaism – Cantor last week said he has received anti-Semitic threats in the past.
And here I thought only “right wingers” had a penchant for violence against the opposition. Leboon, for the record, contributed twice to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign but apparently also made a video “warning” Obama, Pelosi, and Reid that, “Your punishment is coming, the swine, it will be severe, and you will beg for mercy to your god, it will be severe, you will know god’s swine, god has warned you.”
Michelle Malkin has much more on Leboon and the charges filed against him. To describe this guy as a fruitcake would be a major understatement. Thank goodness he’s in police custody now. I hope they throw the book at him, and any other fringe fruitcake who thinks it’s perfectly ok to threaten lawmakers with violence and/or death.