A man in New York was arrested on Feb. 19 for allegedly making death threats to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) over their roles in the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
During the trial, Schumer, the Democratic leader of the Senate, voted to convict Trump on both articles, accusing the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Schiff served as the lead House impeachment manager during the trial and led the prosecution against Trump.
Schiff’s Washington office received a voicemail on Jan. 23 threatening to kill Schiff, according to Roll Call.
“I dare you to come, I dare you to come to New York, because I will put a bullet in your” head, the caller said, adding that Schiff could look up his number if he thought he was joking.
“I’ll come to Washington and kill you,” he said.
Two weeks later, on Feb. 4, Schumer also received a voice message at his Albany, New York, office.
“Hey Schumer, you and Nancy Pelosi are two of the biggest … scumbags who ever lived. And let me tell you something, somebody wants to assassinate you, I’m going to be the driver,” the caller said.
The calls were reported to the Capitol Police’s Threat Assessment Section and they traced both phone calls back to Salvatore Lippa II, 57, of Greece, N.Y., according to Roll Call.
Lippa admitted to his calls when he was questioned by the U.S. Capitol Police.
“Lippa admitted to making the threatening calls to Congressman Schiff and Senator Schumer because he was upset about the impeachment proceedings,” the Justice Department said in a press release.
U.S Attorney James Kennedy said in a statement: “The rights secured in our Constitution carry with them certain responsibilities. When it comes to the First Amendment, that responsibility includes the obligation not to threaten to kill others.”
Lippa now faces up to 10 years in prison, a 250,000 fine, or both according to The Hill.
He was released from custody with limited restrictions and monitoring devices.
