A 25-year-old Georgia man faces federal charges after allegedly making violent threats against two U.S. senators and one of their families, amid growing concerns about threats targeting elected officials, according to the Department of Justice.
Robert Davis Forney of Duluth, Georgia, is accused of leaving threatening voicemails for Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska in January, according to federal prosecutors. The messages allegedly contained threats of sexual violence against both senators and Cruz’s family members.
Forney was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 10 and charged with communicating threats in interstate commerce. He appeared before a federal magistrate judge on Monday for arraignment.
Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a news conference on the U.S. Southern Border at the Capitol, Feb. 6, 2024. Sen. Deb Fisher speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, May 1, 2024.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
“Threatening our elected officials and their families is an act of violence that undermines our entire democracy,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. “Political discourse and disagreements never justify resorting to vile attacks against our nation’s leaders.”
FBI Special Agent Paul Brown, based in Atlanta, emphasized that threatening public officials is a serious federal crime. “There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States,” Brown said.
The case comes amid heightened concerns about violence against political figures. Over the weekend, former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman from Minnesota and her husband were killed, and Senator John Hoffman and his wife were shot in what authorities described as targeted attacks.
The suspect in that case, Vance Boelter, was arrested after a two-day manhunt.
The Georgia case is part of what the Justice Department calls “Operation Take Back America,” a nationwide initiative aimed at combating violent crime and illegal immigration, according to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg.
If convicted, Forney could face federal prison time.
The FBI and United States Capitol Police are investigating the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray leading the prosecution.
