The man called the office of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in January and left voicemails that threatened sexual violence against Cruz and his family, officials say.
ATLANTA — A Georgia man accused of leaving threatening voicemails for two Republican U.S. senators appeared in federal court to face charges Monday.
Robert Davis Forney, 25, of Duluth, Georgia, was arraigned in Atlanta on two federal counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce, according to court records. A grand jury indicted him last week.
“Threatening our elected officials and their families is an act of violence that undermines our entire democracy,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. “Political discourse and disagreements never justify resorting to vile attacks against our nation’s leaders.”
According to prosecutors, Forney called the office of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in January and left voicemails that threatened sexual violence against Cruz and his family. Forney left a similar voicemail threatening sexual violence against Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer the next day, authorities said.
A federal public defender assigned to Forney’s case didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the charges.
The case comes amid heightened concerns about violence against political figures. Over the weekend, Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home. 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. He is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder for both shootings. His bail was set at $5 million for his state charges, but he is being held without bail for his federal charges of murder and stalking.
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