A man who traveled to Washington for the Capitol riot and is charged with threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also made threats of violence toward Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and had the means to carry them out, federal prosecutors say.
Cleveland Meredith, who drove to Washington from Colorado on Jan. 6, sent a text while still in the District the following day that said "I may wander over to the Mayor's office and put a 5.56 in her skull, FKG [expletive]," court filings show.
He later sent a text that said, in part, “Strategizing on best way to assault this city . . . Staying one more day since I got here late, need to FK with these commies.”
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Bowser referred a question Wednesday about the security threat to Metropolitan Police Department Acting Chief Robert Contee, because the department is responsible for her security.
"The Metropolitan Police Department and me personally, we're responsible for that, but we do not discuss the specifics of the mayor's security detail," Contee said.
“I will say I get threats a lot — I don’t know the number off the top — and if MPD thinks that it’s actionable, then they will implement whatever measures that they think are necessary,” Bowser said.
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Meredith drove his truck and an attached trailer to D.C. for the rally to protest Trump's election loss with "two firearms, including one equipped with a telescopic sight, several high capacity magazines, and approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition of various caliber, including 'armor piercing' rounds."
He arrived too late to participate in the siege of the Capitol, however, because of a problem with the lights on his trailer, according to court filings that include many expletive-laden texts.
“Headed to DC with a (s---) ton of 5.56 armor-piercing ammo,” he texted friends and relatives on Jan. 6, adding a purple devil emoji, court filings show. The following day, he texted to the group: “Thinking about heading over to Pelosi (C---'s) speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV.”
He once again added a purple devil emoji, and wrote he might hit her with his truck instead. “I’m gonna run that (C---) Pelosi over while she chews on her gums. … Dead (B----) Walking. I predict that within 12 days, many in our country will die.”
Meredith, who is white, then texted a photo of himself in blackface.
“I’m gonna walk around DC FKG with people by yelling ‘Allahu ak Bar’ randomly," he wrote.
Meredith was charged on Jan. 7, 2021, with making interstate threats to Pelosi. He is also facing federal firearm and ammunition charges. A judge ordered on Wednesday that he be held in custody pending future hearings.
