(Washington, D.C.) - A northern Indiana Congressman says death threats against him and his family received only a shoulder shrug from federal prosecutors.
Last October 33-year-old Aaron Thompson of Ft. Wayne pled guilty to one felony charge of Intimidation and one misdemeanor charge of Harassment. He allegedly left vulgar and threatening voicemails for 3rd District Congressman Jim Banks. The messages also mentioned Banks’ wife and three young daughters. "Three daughters… three bullets…” the first message said. “One wife… we'll give her two bullets..."
According to court documents filed last June, the threats seemed only to escalate. Thompson claimed to own a gun and hoped that Banks would “get [his] brains blown out.” Then the final message: "Here's the choice. Your daughters grow up without their dad, or you grow old without your daughters. How you like that? Let me know what your opinion is. I’ll make the decision… boom, boom you pick which two daughters get shot."
Charges were brought by local authorities, and last November an Allen County judge sentenced Thompson to two-and-a-half years of probation. But according to a letter obtained by ABC News, the U.S. Attorney General declined to take action. Banks, a Republican, sent the letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland after Garland wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post last week decrying political violence.
The FBI and U.S. Capitol Police allegedly interrogated Thompson, who admitted to making at least seven threatening phone calls while he was intoxicated. Still, the U.S. Attorney for Northern Indiana declined to prosecute Thompson even though, as Banks claims, Thompson violated federal law. Earlier this week federal prosecutors announced that a 61-year-old Texas man has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison and a $10,000 fine for threatening California Rep. Maxine Waters. Waters is a Democrat, and because she is Black, a hate crime elevated the offense, according to reports.
Banks, previously an Indiana State Senator, has served in the House of Representatives since 2016 and is currently running for the Indiana Senate seat soon to be left open by Mike Braun.
