US attorney general denounces surge in threats to public officials

US Attorney General Merrick Garland denounced on Friday what he called a "deeply disturbing" spike in the number of threats being made against public officials in the United States.

"These threats of violence are unacceptable," Garland told reporters on the eve of the third anniversary of the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

"They threaten the fabric of our democracy," the top US law enforcement official said.

The attorney general said there had been a "deeply disturbing spike in threats against those who serve the public in just the final months of 2023."

He said the Justice Department had investigated and charged individuals with making violent threats against FBI agents, federal judges, including a US Supreme Court Justice, presidential candidates, members of Congress, members of the military and election workers.

"Just this week, several bomb threats were made against courthouses across the country," Garland said, and an individual was arrested on Thursday and charged with threatening to kill a member of Congress and his children.

"This is just a small snapshot of a larger trend that has included threats of violence against those who administer our elections, ensure our safe travel, teach our children, report the news, represent their constituents and keep our communities safe," he said.

Turning to the January 6 anniversary, Garland said it represented an "unprecedented attack on the cornerstone of our system of government -- the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next."

The attorney general said more than 1,250 people have been charged in connection with the January 6 attack on Congress and more than 890 have been convicted.

"As I've said before, the Justice Department will hold all January 6 perpetrators at any level accountable under the law, whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy," he said.

Trump was indicted in August for seeking to upend the results of the November 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden in a concerted effort that led to the January 6 attack by his supporters on the Capitol.