Security was visibly heightened across South Los Angeles Sunday as House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries made scheduled stops at three Black churches, urging parishioners to support California’s Proposition 50 — a redistricting measure designed to counterbalance Texas’ controversial move to add five Republican congressional seats.
Unbeknownst to many in the pews, law enforcement in New York was simultaneously arresting a man accused of plotting to assassinate the nation’s highest-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives.
According to authorities, Christopher Patrick Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, New York, allegedly texted threats to kill Jeffries ahead of a planned Oct. 20 speaking engagement at the Economic Club of New York. “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC. I cannot allow this terrorist to live,” Moynihan allegedly wrote in one message, according to the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest — carried out by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation in coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force — marks the latest case of renewed violence involving a Trump-pardoned January 6 rioter. Moynihan, who participated in the 2021 Capitol insurrection, was among more than 1,400 individuals granted clemency by President Donald Trump earlier this year, just hours after returning to the White House for his second term.
Court records show that Moynihan was previously sentenced in 2023 to 21 months in federal prison for obstructing an official proceeding during the Capitol attack. Prosecutors said he entered the U.S. Senate chamber, rifled through a senator’s notebook, and was captured on camera saying, “There’s gotta be something in here we can f—ing use against these ––bags.”
Following his pardon, Moynihan resurfaced in Dutchess County, where investigators say he made direct threats to kill Jeffries. He was charged with making a terroristic threat, a Class D felony, and remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center on $10,000 cash bail, or $80,000 partially secured bond. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on October 23.
The incident adds to a troubling pattern of politically motivated violence that has shadowed Trump’s second term. In June, Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed in their home — a tragedy that reignited debate over the rise of partisan extremism.
“Donald Trump spit in the face of law enforcement and public safety when he pardoned dangerous January 6th rioters,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said in a statement Sunday. “Some of those individuals went on to commit new crimes after their pardons. One of them now stands accused of threatening to murder House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Political violence has no place in our country.”
The arrest was a stark reminder of the volatile climate gripping America as it heads into the 2026 midterms.
Jeffries’ recent visit to Los Angeles — which included stops at First AME, Resurrection Church L.A., and Mt. Sinai Baptist Church — came as Democrats rally around Proposition 50, a ballot measure designed to offset Republican gerrymandering in Texas and preserve California’s representation in Congress. Supporters argue the measure could yield five additional Democratic seats — effectively neutralizing Trump’s redistricting gains.
In a statement released after the arrest, Jeffries thanked state and federal authorities for their “swift and decisive action” and denounced Trump’s decision to issue blanket pardons for those involved in the Capitol riot.
“The individual arrested — along with thousands of violent felons who stormed the U.S. Capitol — was pardoned by Donald Trump on his first day in office,” Jeffries said. “Since that blanket pardon, many have gone on to commit additional crimes. Our law enforcement officers are being forced to protect us from individuals who should never have been released.”
Despite the threat, Jeffries said he remains undeterred in his mission.
“It is the honor of my life to serve in Congress during these challenging times. Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up, and speaking up for the American people.”