US attorney ‘declined’ to prosecute over threat to congressman, letter claims

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana decided not to prosecute a man who made threats against an Indiana congressman and his family, as per a letter obtained by ABC News.

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) received threatening messages from Aaron Thompson, who was later given two years of probation by the local district attorney in Indiana. However, questions arise as to why the U.S. Attorney, typically responsible for such cases involving threats to members of Congress, chose not to pursue prosecution in this instance. In one of the voicemails, Thompson menacingly said, “Three daughters. Hey, hey, hey, three bullets hey, hey, hey one wife yay. Oh yeah, yeah, we’ll give her two bullets.”

Following FBI agents visiting Thompson’s residence, Banks’ letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland in December revealed that Thompson confessed to threatening Banks and his family due to political disagreements. Despite clear evidence of federal law violations, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana declined to prosecute Thompson after Capitol Police referred the case.

Banks, who is currently vying for an open Senate seat in Indiana, questioned why the Department of Justice (DOJ) did not pursue prosecution in his case, especially considering similar threats against California Rep. Eric Swalwell were prosecuted. Garland, as noted by Banks, has emphasized the importance of prosecuting threats against members of Congress.

In a recent op-ed, Attorney General Garland condemned political violence, stating, “Disagreements about politics are good for our democracy. They are normal. But using conspiracy theories, falsehoods, violence, and threats of violence to affect political outcomes is not normal.”

Despite Banks’ efforts, the Justice Department has not yet responded to his letter or ABC News’ request for comment on the matter.