Authorities have charged a man with intimidating and harassing a United States congressman after the man threatened the lives of Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, his wife, and his daughters.
“The safety of my family is my top priority,” Banks said in a statement. “I’ve been instructed to refer all questions about the ongoing criminal investigation to the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.”
A probable cause filing obtained by The Daily Signal shows that Aaron L. Thompson of Fort Wayne, Indiana, had called Banks’ office and left threatening messages on a number of occasions. Thompson made one of these calls on April 6 and seven on April 11 and was arrested Friday, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
“Mole-ay, MOle-ay, Mole-ay, Mole-ay…Hope you die,” Thompson said in one voicemail, “yay Mole-ay three daughters. Hey hey hey three bullets hey hey hey one wife yay. Oh yeah, yeah, we’ll give her two bullets. Mole-ay how’s your moles on face you little f—khead?”
“I hope you f—king get your brains blown out,” he added. It’s not immediately clear what he meant by “mole-ay.”
“Here’s the choice. Your daughters grow up without their dad. Or you grow old without your daughters,” Thompson threatened, emphasizing to Banks that he owned a gun. “How you like that? Let me know what your opinion is. I’ll make the decision. Love you f—king f–got.”
“Boom, boom you pick which two daughters get shot,” he reportedly told the congressman.
Banks has three young daughters.
According to the affidavit for probable cause, Thompson also admitted to the United States Capitol Police that he was intoxicated when he made the calls and was angry with Banks over the Republican congressman’s political views.
“On May 9, 2023, we worked with our local law enforcement partners in Indiana to arrest 33 year old Aaron L. Thompson for harassment & intimidation,” the United States Capitol Police told The Daily Signal. “This case is just another example of how our threat agents are working around the clock to chase down threats in order to protect the Members of Congress.”
The Allen County Prosecutor’s Office said that Thompson does not yet have legal representation.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
