Sen Klobuchar just said what I've been thinking. Make intimidating election workers a federal crime

[tulipsandroses]

These people are purposely trying to interfere with elections. Giving someone water who has been standing on a line is illegal, but not this?

The death threats brought Staci McElyea to tears. The caller said that McElyea and other workers in the Nevada Secretary of State’s office were “going to f------ die.” She documented the threats and alerted police, who identified and interviewed the caller. But in the end, detectives said there was nothing they could do – that the man had committed no crime.

The first call came at 8:07 a.m. on Jan. 7, hours after Congress certified Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the November 2020 presidential vote. The caller accused McElyea of “stealing” the election, echoing Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. “I hope you all go to jail for treason. I hope your children get molested. You’re all going to f------ die,” he told her.

He called back three times over the next 15 minutes, each time telling her she was “going to die.”
SNIP

A week later, state police concluded that Juncaj’s threats were not criminal, characterizing them as “protected” political speech, according to a summary of the case. Juncaj was never arrested or charged. Asked about the calls, Juncaj told Reuters he didn’t believe he had done anything wrong. “Like I explained to the police, I didn’t threaten anybody,” he said.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-threats-law-enforcement/

[oasis]

1. That's it. Bring the federal hammer down.

[Enter stage left]

2. So if I call this MF'er and tell him if you ever call a Federal Worker again...

I'll come and kill you, your spouse, children and family, I cant be accused of a crime?

Look out RePuqs, I just might be using your techniques to threaten your supporters.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. The hair we are splitting here is you wrote "I will" kill you (direct threat)...

the christofascist a-hole used intimidating language to dodge any direct threat allegation by using "I hope".

He meant it as direct threat but used other language to CYA.

[Enter stage left]

5. OK, I hope I will kill you...

Does that work?

[Diamond_Dog]

3. Death threats are "protected political speech"?

???what???

[ColinC]

6. I was today years old when I found out it wasnt

:/

[Mr.Bill]

7. Another law every single republican

in Congress will vote against. And we can't be sure about Manchin and Sinema.

[BadgerMom]

8. Do. it.

[NotHardly]

9. Nevada has a law that applies ... why didn't cops use it?

NRS 202.448 is the Nevada law which makes it a crime to issue a threat related to terrorism with the intent to:

injure or alarm someone,
cause civil unrest,
profit, or
interfere with government operations

A person can be convicted of terrorist threats even if nobody was hurt. The statute states:

A person shall not, through the use of any means of oral, written or electronic communication, knowingly make any threat or convey any false information concerning an act of terrorism or the presence, development, manufacture, production, assemblage, transfer, transportation, acquisition, retention, storage, testing, possession, delivery, dispersion, release, discharge or use of any weapon of mass destruction, any biological agent, chemical agent, radioactive agent or other lethal agent or any toxin with the intent to:

(a) Injure, intimidate or alarm any person, whether or not any person is actually injured, intimidated or alarmed thereby;

(b) Cause panic or civil unrest, whether or not such panic or civil unrest actually occurs;

(c) Extort or profit thereby, whether or not the extortion is actually successful or any profit actually occurs; or

(d) Interfere with the operations of or cause economic or other damage to any person or any officer, agency, board, bureau, commission, department, division or other unit of federal, state or local government, whether or not such interference or damage actually occurs.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Here's the video for those who missed it:

Senate Highlights Threats To Election Workers; Emphasizes Protections In Voting Bill - Rachel Maddow
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017689751

Rachel Maddow shares video of state and local election officials testifying at a Senate hearing about the threats they face from people incited by Republican lies about Donald Trump's 2020 election loss. Senator Amy Klobuchar joins to talk about protections for election workers in the voting rights bill Republicans blocked last week. Aired on 10/26/2021.