Man Pardoned for Jan. 6 Attack Arrested for Threatening to Kill Rep. Hakeem Jeffries By Meredith Kile

A man who was convicted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and later pardoned by President Donald Trump has been arrested in connection with alleged death threats against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

According to a police report and criminal complaint, Christopher P. Moynihan, 34, sent a text message on Friday, Oct. 17, that “placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant.”

One message allegedly said, “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live.”

“Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated,” Moynihan allegedly wrote in another, according to the criminal complaint against him. “I will kill him for the future.”

Moynihan was arrested in Clinton, New York, and is being charged with one felony count of making a terroristic threat, according to New York State Police. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Dutchess County State Supreme Court on Thursday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Jeffries said, “I am grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out.”

“The person arrested, along with thousands of violent felons who stormed the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th attack, was pardoned by Donald Trump on the President’s very first day in office,” he continued. “Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned.”

Jeffries, who succeeded Nancy Pelosi as the leader of the House Democratic Caucus in 2023, concluded, “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.”

Moynihan was sentenced to 21 months in prison in February 2023 for his role in the Jan. 6 riots. Cameras showed him entering the Senate Gallery, rifling through papers on top of senators’ desks and taking pictures with his phone.

According to prosecutors, he said, “There’s got to be something in here we can f—ing use against these —-bags” and had to be forced from the chamber by police.

Within hours of taking office for his second presidential term on Jan. 20, Trump announced pardons and sentence commutations for about 1,500 people charged in the Capitol attack, including Moynihan.

“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” read the official proclamation.

Related Stories

Looking Back on Jan. 6, 2021: Shocking Photos of the Violent Riots at the U.S. Capitol

Trump Repeats False Claim That Biden Planted FBI Agents at Jan. 6 Insurrection

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.          

As Jeffries pointed out in his statement, Moynihan isn’t the only pardoned Jan. 6 rioter to be arrested again following his pardon from Trump.

Daniel Charles Ball’s case was immediately dismissed following the pardon, despite the fact that he had been accused of throwing an explosive device at a group of about two dozen Capitol Police officers who were approaching the rioters.

Just one day after being pardoned, Ball was arrested again on charges related to possession of a firearm. In February 2025, a newly-appointed U.S. attorney moved to dismiss the charges.

Andrew Taake, 36, of Houston, Texas — who had pleaded guilty and was pardoned for one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon — was arrested a week after being pardoned for allegedly soliciting a minor online. He later pleaded guilty to that charge in exchange for three years in prison.