In this December 14, 2020 file photo, a voter fills out paperwork before casting his ballot on the first day of early voting for the Atlanta Senate elections.
Ben Gray / AP
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Ben Gray / AP
In this December 14, 2020 file photo, a voter fills out paperwork before casting his ballot on the first day of early voting for the Atlanta Senate elections.
Ben Gray / AP
A Texas man was arrested early Friday and charged with threatening to kill Georgia election officials.
FBI agents arrested Chad Christopher Stark in Leander, Texas, on Friday morning. He was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia on one count of making interstate threats.
The case is the first by the Justice Department’s election threats task force, which the department set up last summer to combat the growing number of nationwide threats targeting election officials and administrators.
According to the indictment, Stark, 54, is said to have posted a message on Craigslist on January 5, 2021, titled “Georgia Patriots Time to Kill [Official A] Chinese agent – 10,000 dollars. “
In the text message, which is included in the indictment, Stark says it’s time to take back Georgia from what he calls “Lawless Traitors.”
Stark also wrote that it was time to “put a bullet in treasonous Chinese [Official A]. Then we work our way down [Official B] local and federal corruption judges. “
Stark went on to say, according to the indictment, that “we needed to visit [Official C] and her family too and put a bullet behind her ear. “
Attorney General Merrick Garland has repeatedly expressed concern about violence and threats of violence against public officials, particularly those running elections.
In a statement Friday, Garland said the department “has a responsibility not only to protect the right to vote, but to protect the people who administer our voting system from violence and illegal threats of violence.” France.”
The increase in threats comes amid a broader challenge to democratic elections in the US as former President Trump continues to make allegations of fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
