Man Accused Of Threatening To Kill Rep. Katherine Clark, Others

MELROSE, MA — A Pennsylvania man is accused of threatening to kill Massachusetts Congresswoman Katherine Clark and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, among others.

Harry Miller, 62, of Ross Township, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, authorities announced Friday.

Miller called Clark's Malden office in August 2019 and said he was "willing to abolish government by spilling blood" and killing four or five Democrats, including Clark, and that the staffer who answered the phone would also die, according to the indictment. Miller also said he would shoot Black people "to keep them in line," according to the indictment.

In a separate call, Miller threatened to "put a bullet" into Burr's head, prosecutors said.

Miller was charged with sending threatening communications in interstate commerce. He was released on $25,000 bond.

"Threatening to injure members of Congress is a crime, not protected-speech," U.S. Attorney for Pennslyvania Scott Brady said in a statement. "As the events of the past year show, there are individuals intent on harming our public servants and law enforcement. We will vigorously and proactively investigate, disrupt and prosecute those individuals when they violate federal law."

The charges were first reported by The Boston Globe.

Last year, Clark, of Melrose, was elected assistant House speaker, which made her the fourth-highest ranked member in the House.