An Alabama man has been indicted on federal charges that he threatened violence against a Georgia prosecutor and sheriff related to an investigation into former President Donald Trump.
The indictment returned Oct. 25 and unsealed Monday accuses Arthur Ray Hanson II of Huntsville of leaving threatening voicemails for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat on Aug. 6. Reached by phone Monday, Hanson, 59, said he is not guilty of the charges.
Willis on Aug. 14 obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 other people, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to try to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. The indictment — the fourth criminal case filed against Trump in a matter of months — had been widely anticipated.
Shortly before the indictment was returned, Labat was asked during a news conference whether Trump would have a mug shot taken if he was indicted. Labat responded, “Unless someone tells me differently, we are following our normal practices and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mug shot ready for you.”
The reason why threatening speech isn’t really covered in the Constitution is because that was taken care of privately with duels at the time. But if you threatened a District Attorney or Attorney General, you might get a visit from their armed extra-legal friends. Judicial authorities can’t be seen dueling.
Freedom of speech has never meant freedom from consequences.