A Montana man, Richard Rogers, has been sentenced to four years of probation for threatening to assault former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Rogers became upset with the government for not shooting down a Chinese spy balloon that floated over his home city of Billings. Despite being convicted of threatening a member of Congress and making harassing phone calls, Rogers avoided prison time due to not acting on his threats. Judge Susan Watters compared his case to the lighter sentences given to perpetrators of the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Rogers, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, had referenced the Capitol attack in his defense. Prosecutors had urged for a stronger sentence to deter threats against public officials. Threats against lawmakers have been on the rise, with Rogers’ case being one of over 8,000 threats investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police in 2023. Another Montana man was sentenced for threats against Democratic Senator Jon Tester. Rogers, pledging to appeal, was ordered to comply with conditions of his release, including abstaining from marijuana use.
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