Federal authorities have arrested a Georgia man identified as Jason Kenneth Bell, who allegedly called U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s Washington office nearly a dozen times the week of Oct. 23, threatening to kill him, according to reports.
An official filing with the U.S. District Court for the middle district of Georgia, said Bell called to express his disapproval with Scott’s recent condemnation of President Trump’s statements after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August.
“Saying that Neo-Nazi and white people are the problem,” Bell allegedly told a Scott staffer over the phone while inserting several expletives. “I am going to kill (him.)”
The court filing specifies that Bell has long been a person of interest both for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Capitol Police. He has a history of making threatening phone calls to lawmakers, allegedly telling Capitol law enforcement that he has been contacting members of Congress for six years regarding “untruths of black victimization,” with no plans to stop.
He also has claimed to idolize Dylann Roof, the white supremacist who murdered nine black parishioners at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015.
When contacted, Scott’s office had this to say Wednesday: “The Senator greatly appreciates the efforts of the Capitol Police and the FBI to keep folks safe every day. Any questions regarding this matter should be directed to the FBI,” his spokesman, Sean Smith, said in a statement.