A Torrington man was arrested after sending death threats to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) through an online meeting request form.
In a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office on March 16 said that 62-year-old Robert Phelps had admitted to having made several life-threatening remarks to Schiff through the request form on his website.
On Nov. 12, at the height of the impeachment process against President Donald Trump, Phelps reportedly wrote, “I want to kill you with my bare hands and smash your … face in.” Also, in response to the preferred days of the week for the meeting, Phelps wrote, “Measure your Coffin day,” the release stated.
Phelps also made threats and obscene remarks toward House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)—another leading figure in the failed Trump impeachment—through Schiff’s contact form, court filings allege, as reported by the Hartford Courant.
Schiff, in turn, notified the FBI of the death threats against him.
Phelps left his email address on the website and stated a former address. After investigators retrieved Phelps’s current address, they interviewed him in his home on Dec. 4.
Phelps admitted to having sent the emails, however he said he did not consider them threats. Instead, he said he wanted to defend “his” president against allegations made during the impeachment trial.
“Phelps asked investigators if they were in his home because of Senator Blumenthal and that the Democrats that are involved in the impeachment proceedings against the president should be arrested,” the filing stated.
Phelps was arrested on March 13 and charged by U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport for threatening to assault and murder a U.S. official and with making interstate threats, which carry maximum terms of 10 and 5 years respectively.
Phelps was released after posting $25,000 bail. He reportedly promised not to send any more threatening emails.
