"Hey, Taliban," is how a man began a call to Rashida Tlaib's congressional office this week, say authorities who arrested him. The Democrat from Detroit in January became the first Palestinian American woman in Congress.
John J. Kless is accused of making threats in two other Capitol Hill calls the same day, Christopher Mele writes in The New York Times:
Federal officials charged a Florida man on Friday with leaving threatening phone messages laced with racist slurs at the offices of Sen. Cory Booker and two House members, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
The man, John J. Kless, 49, made three phone calls within 30 minutes, . . . according to court records. Mr. Kless, of Tamarac, Fla., about 15 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale, was charged with interstate transmission of threats.
Rashida Tlaib on Capitol Hill this month.
(Photo: Facebook)
A federal magistrate judge released the defendant, who must wear an electronic location monitor, obey a curfew and not contact Tlaib, Booker or Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., the other official called. Kless has until Monday afternoon to post $2,500 cash bond.
Firearms were seized from a backpack and a gun safe at his home, according to The Times.
Ammunition was also recovered. Information about the kinds of weapons was not immediately available. . . .
Mr. Kless was involved in making harassing calls to [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi’s office in Washington in February, according to court papers.
In the voice mail message left at Tlaib’s office, according to the U.S. Capitol Police, he said: "It's all your people's fault."
Mr. Kless said that "the day when the bell tolls" and "this country comes to a war, there will be no more threats," court records said. He also said: "There's people like me out there, millions and millions of us, who hate you" for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. . . .
Law enforcement officials contacted a cellphone company to gain customer information for the phone number where the calls originated, Lacey Evans, a special agent of the United States Capitol Police, said in an affidavit.
