Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an employee for the rape, testified that he feared for her safety after a death threat from a Queens man accused of inciting violence against lawbreakers.
Brendan Hunt, 37, is accused of calling for violence in the wake of the January 6 US Capitol riots against Congressional Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Charles Schumer, according to Brooklyn federal prosecutors.
“Kill your senators, kill them all,” Hunt reportedly headlined the 88-second video posted on January 8.
Daniel Burtonius, who worked out of Ocasio-Cortez’s Jackson Heights office, testified at trial that he had not learned of the threats until after Hunt’s January 19, but was still concerned.
“We have experiences with people who have already returned to our office after arrest and are threatening in addition,” he said.
Prosecutors played video clips of Hunt’s threats Monday in Brooklyn federal court.
He said, “We have to show up with our guns, and we have to kill these motherfares.” “Get your guns, show DC, and literally spray these motherfares. That’s the only option.”
Hunt’s attorneys have argued that he never posed a serious threat, never attempted to obtain firearms and that his violent rant was given protected speech. If convicted, he faces up to a decade in prison.
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