Police Investigate New Death Threats Against Rep. Maxine Waters

LOS ANGELES, CA — Though four men are sitting in prison for making death threats against Rep. Maxine Waters during the Trump administration, the threats keep coming from the former president's most rabid supporters, the L os Angeles congresswoman's office announced this week.

Ever since she became a target of former President Donald Trump for personal attacks Waters, D-Los Angeles, has endured death threats from his supporters. The threats have only increased since he lost his bid for re-election. Since the November election and Capitol uprising, the lawmaker has endured a barrage of threats including two death threats being investigated by Capitol Police detectives, her office announced Tuesday.

The announcement came the same day FBI Director Christopher A. Wray warned lawmakers that domestic terrorism by racially motivated extremists is “metastasizing across the country.” Federal agents have investigated 2,000 domestic terrorism cases since 2017, Wray told lawmakers.

For LA's longest-standing representative, the issue has long been personal.

On Tuesday, Waters' office confirmed that a man from Kansas left a profane and racist message for Waters on Dec. 15 that included the words, "I got an AK47 and I'll use it if I have to."

On Feb. 8, a man from Mississippi called the congresswoman's district office and left a similar message threatening Waters, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-San Francisco, according to her staff.

"The uptick in death threats against Congresswoman Waters began during former President Donald Trump’s term – including a threat made mere weeks before the Capitol attack," according to a statement issued by her office. "The threats to Rep. Waters persist today due to his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his ongoing, implicit support and encouragement of domestic terrorists in the United States."

A vocal opponent of Trump's, the congresswoman earned the ire of his supporters early on. Five men have been convicted for threatening her, including four serving lengthy prison terms.

• In January 2020, Coast Guard Lt. Christopher Hasson of Maryland -- a self-described white nationalist -- was sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison on weapons and drug charges. Hasson had been accused of plotting to kill Waters and other members of Congress, along with television anchors, but was not charged for those alleged threats, which were detailed by federal prosecutors in a court filing.
• In August 2019, 57-year-old Cesar Sayoc of Florida was sentenced to 20 years in prison for mailing pipe bombs to top Democrats and Trump administration critics, including Waters.
• In November 2018, 36-year-old Richard Mel Phillips of Florida pleaded guilty to leaving a voicemail message with Waters' office threatening to kill her. Phillips was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2019 for threatening Waters and other members of Congress.
• In July 2018, 45-year-old Anthony Scott Lloyd was sentenced to three years of probation for threatening to kill Waters over comments she made about Trump. The judge also ordered Lloyd not to have any contact with Waters — by any means.

Lloyd pleaded guilty in April 2018 to a single federal count of threatening a United States official. The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years behind bars, but both prosecution and defense agreed that a probationary sentence was appropriate.

In a letter filed with the court prior to sentencing, Waters said that while she appreciates that Lloyd pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, a lenient sentence would "only embolden others to engage in similar conduct." Lloyd should "be held accountable for his actions in a manner extending beyond probation," the congresswoman wrote.

Lloyd made the threat during a phone call to Waters' Capitol Hill office. He had become angered while listening to talk radio, when he heard a report in which Waters made disparaging comments about Trump, according to court papers.

"If you continue to make threats toward the president, you're going to wind up dead, Maxine, 'cause we'll kill you," Lloyd said in a voicemail. He also used a racial slur -- the N-word -- to refer to Waters.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.