Trump‑Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Pleads Guilty to Threatening Hakeem Jeffries

Christopher P. Moynihan, 35, of Pleasant Valley, New York, has pleaded guilty in Clinton Town Court to a misdemeanor harassment charge for texting death threats against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in October 2025, a year after President Donald Trump pardoned him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. Prosecutors say Moynihan texted another person that he "cannot allow this terrorist to live," that Jeffries "must be eliminated," and "I will kill him for the future" when Jeffries was scheduled to appear in New York City. He was originally charged with the felony of making a terrorist threat but took a plea to the lesser count and agreed to serve three years of probation, with sentencing set for April 2. Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi said in a statement that threats against elected officials are criminal acts that "strike at the heart of public safety and our democratic system." The case underscores how individuals tied to Jan. 6 continue to surface in politically motivated threat cases and will feed ongoing debate about whether mass pardons for Capitol rioters have undermined deterrence against further political violence.