The FBI arrested a California man Thursday for making death threats against employees of The Boston Globe, calling the paper “the enemy of the people.”
Federal authorities charged Robert D. Chain of Encino, California, with threatening communication in interstate commerce. Chain allegedly issued the threats shortly after the Globe launched a “free speech” campaign to protest what they saw as President Donald Trump’s characterization of the media as an “enemy of the people.” Trump later clarified that fake news, as opposed to all of the media, is the enemy of the people. (RELATED: Schumer, Schatz Spearhead Resolution Declaring The Press Is Not ‘The Enemy Of The People’)
“In the calls, Chain referred to the Globe as ‘the enemy of the people’ and threatened to kill newspaper employees,” prosecutors wrote in a statement, according to The Boston Globe. “In total, it is alleged that Chain made approximately 14 threatening phone calls to the Globe between August 10 and August 22, 2018.”
Chain allegedly made repeated threats to shoot Globe employees “in the head.”
“You’re the enemy of the people, and we’re going to kill every [expletive] one of you. Hey, why don’t you call the F, why don’t you call Mueller, maybe he can help you out buddy. Still there [expletive]? Alright, why, you going to trace my call? What are you going to do [expletive]? You ain’t going to do [expletive]. I’m going to shoot you in the [expletive] head later today, at 4 o’clock. Goodbye,” Chain allegedly said on Aug. 16.
He also allegedly promised to continue harassing them as long as they continued criticizing Trump.
“You are the enemy of the people, and I want you to go [expletive] yourself. As long as you keep attacking the President, the duly elected President of the United States, in the continuation of your treasonous and seditious acts, I will continue to threats, harass, and annoy the Boston Globe, owned by the New York Times, the other fake news,” he allegedly said on Aug. 22.
U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling’s office said Chain faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He is scheduled to appear in court in Los Angeles Thursday and will later be arraigned in Boston.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
