Criminal Law
The FBI Intensifies Its Investigations of Threats Against Elected Officials
The FBI has stepped up investigations of threats against election officials — in some cases, reaching out for the first time in recent weeks to election supervisors and others who have endured months of harassment, local officials tell CNN.
The activity stems from the creation earlier this summer of a Department of Justice task force to address the rising threats of violence against those officials. And it raises hopes among some election administrators that individuals might finally be held to account for the barrage of threats spurred by falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
“I don’t think people should be able to call with impunity to say whatever they want and to make threats,” said Richard Barron, who oversees elections in Fulton County, Georgia, and has spoken recently with two FBI agents. “I hope they make some arrests.”
Barron said he and his staff faced a torrent of threats and abuse
