An Iowa man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to “lynch” and “hang” an election official in Maricopa County, Arizona, nearly a year after the 2020 election, the Department of Justice announced.
Mark Rissi was arrested Thursday for allegedly leaving voicemails for the unnamed election official in which Rissi allegedly threatened him with lynching, hanging and torches, according to the indictment filed against him. The arrest comes as the FBI continues to issue warnings increased threats to election officials in seven statesincluding Arizona, where election naysayers still don’t believe President Biden legitimately won.
“Hello Mr. [VICTIM], I’m glad you’re standing up for democracy and want to put your hand to the Bible and say the election was honest and fair,” Rissi allegedly said in a voice message left on or about Sept. 27, 2021, according to court documents. .” I really appreciate it. When we come to lynch your stupid lying Commie [expletive]you will remember that you lied [expletive] Bible, little piece [expletive]. You’re going to die, little one [expletive]. we will hang you We will hang you.”
In another message on Dec. 8, 2021, Rissi allegedly left a voicemail for an election official at the Arizona Attorney General’s office about the Maricopa County clerk. Arizona’s attorney general is the state’s top law enforcement official.
“I am the victim of a crime,” Rissi reportedly said. “My family is a victim of a crime. My extended family is a victim of a crime. That crime was the theft of the 2020 election. The election that was fraudulent throughout the state of Arizona, which [VICTIM] he knows it was fraudulent, that [VICTIM] has footage of conspirators deleting voter fraud data from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors computer system. do your job [VICTIM]or you will hang with these [expletive] in the end. We will take care of it. Torches and pitchforks. This is your future, [expletive]. Do your job.”
Rissi faces two counts of making a threatening interstate communication and one count of making a threatening telephone call. He faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
The FBI is still investigating the case, which is part of the Justice Department’s election threat task force announced by the Justice Department in June 2021.
In 2021, the GOP-led Arizona Senate ordered a Controversial review of Maricopa County’s 2.1 million ballots and voting equipment in 2020. Maricopa County is Arizona’s most populous county and was a Republican stronghold for a long time, but President Biden carried it by about 45,000 votes. A cybersecurity firm, Cyber Ninjas, was tapped to lead the review, even though it had no experience with official election audits, and its CEO, Doug Logan, had promoted election conspiracy theories on social media. Ultimately, the non-binding review reaffirmed Mr. Biden’s victory.
The negatives of the elections continue to hold and postulate for some of the main positions in the country. Arizona’s Republican nominee for secretary of state, Arizona’s highest-ranking election official, Mark Finchem, I won’t say yet President Biden legitimately won the election.
Seven states across the country continue to see unusual levels of threats to poll workers, senior FBI officials said at a briefing Monday.
Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin, all states where the results of the 2020 election were in question, officials noted, and all states won by President Biden. FBI officials are discussing how to address these threats as state officials in 8,800 voting districts prepare for the mid-term elections next month
Since June 2021, the FBI has received more than 1,000 tips about threats to poll workers, according to the agency. About 11% of these tips have resulted in FBI investigations.
— Nicole Sganga contributed to this report.
- In:
- Arizona
- County of Maricopa
- elections
Add Comment