“Nothing excuses this conduct, threatening our elected officials, an act that attacks our very system of governance,” U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the District of Alaska said in a statement. “The erosion of civility in our political discourse will never justify threats or acts of violence. Johnson’s actions must be punished, and the Department of Justice will always work to ensure our elected officials can serve without fear of harm.
The government sought a sentence of 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release along with the protective order.“The defendant’s conduct is simply unacceptable in a democracy” U.S. Assistant Attorney Ryan Tansey wrote in the government’s sentencing memo filed before the sentencing hearing. “As political violence and domestic extremism grow, violent intimidation of public officials must result in serious criminal consequences.
In a message left for Sullivan, Johnson said he was tired of politicians destroying the country. He claimed he would get out his .50 caliber and start a GoFundMe page for the shells. “And I’m coming with a vengeance, motherf——-,” he said. The defense said the weapons belonged to Johnson’s wife, Catherine Pousson-Johnson. In October, when pleading that her husband be released from jail while the legal case proceeded, she was asked if she was aware if her husband was making threats against the two senators.At the same hearing, she said, “My husband is an old man, and he gets very angry listening to politics on the news.”