A Montana man was convicted on Wednesday of threatening to assault former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after getting upset over the government’s failure to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon floating over his hometown. Richard Rogers, 45, from Billings, made over 100 calls to McCarthy’s office in just 75 minutes on February 3, 2023, expressing his frustration. The threat came one day after the Pentagon confirmed it was monitoring the spy balloon, which was eventually taken down off the Atlantic Coast.
In addition to the threat against McCarthy, Rogers was also found guilty of making harassing phone calls, including 150 calls to an FBI tip line between 2021 and 2022, where he made vulgar and obscene remarks. Sentencing is scheduled for January 31, with a potential prison term of up to six years for the threat against a member of Congress, and a fine of $250,000. The other two counts carry a maximum penalty of two years each, along with a similar fine.
Incidents of threats against public figures in the United States have increased in recent years, targeting politicians, election workers, and law enforcement officials. Rogers’ case is among the 8,000 threats to lawmakers investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police in 2023, with another surge expected during the 2024 election cycle.
During the three-day trial, Rogers claimed that his calls to the FBI and McCarthy’s office were a form of “civil disobedience,” protected under the First Amendment’s right to free speech. However, prosecutors argued that his behaviour crossed the line, particularly with the threat against McCarthy’s life and the use of abusive language towards staff and operators.
Rogers, a former customer service representative, stated that he carefully chose his words during the calls to avoid making direct threats. He wore shirts depicting superheroes throughout the trial and expressed support for former President Donald Trump, having been present in Washington during the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Prosecutors emphasised that the case was about illegal harassment rather than political affiliations.
In a similar incident, a 30-year-old man from Billings was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for making death threats against Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester and his family. Another individual from Kalispell received a similar sentence for threats against Tester in the previous year.
The verdict highlights the serious consequences of making threats against public officials and the importance of maintaining respectful communication, even in moments of disagreement or frustration.