Minnesota man pleads guilty to threatening US senator

By The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to threatening a U.S. senator, according to federal prosecutors.

Brendon Daugherty, 35, of Coon Rapids, entered the plea to one count of interstate transmission of a threat during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.

According to court documents, Daugherty left two threatening voice mail messages for a senator who was unnamed, but lives outside Minnesota, on June 11.

In the first message Daugherty said the senator and the Republican Party was pushing him to become a domestic terrorist, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.

“Have a nice (expletive) day; can’t wait to kill ya,” Daugherty said.

In the second message, Daugherty threatened to carry out “nefarious goals,” Luger said.

“I also just wanted to note, thank God the Republican Party is against gun control laws because it would keep guns out of the hands of a person that was disabled and volatile like I am, but you guys are totally against that,” the message said.

FBI agents spoke with Daugherty at his Coon Rapids home on Sept. 2. According to court documents, he admitted making the calls and said he did so because the senator was “doing a bunch of stupid (expletive) with gun control,” and that he wants politicians to “feel a little bit pressured.”

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled later.