A Missouri man is currently facing federal charges following a series of alleged violent threats made via social media against former President Donald Trump, Republicans in general, and law enforcement officers. A criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Missouri on August 30th accuses Justin Lee White, a 36-year-old from Springfield, of using interstate communication to disseminate a plethora of online threats advocating for violence towards Trump, Republicans, and law enforcement officers, all in violation of federal law.
The FBI, who have been leading the investigation into these threats, stated in their criminal complaint that White had been posting multiple threatening messages on various social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook from late July to August this year. These messages were primarily posted with the intent of warning Republicans about potential violent repercussions if they did not adhere to certain demands related to perceived electoral fairness.
One of White’s videos, which was posted around 31st July, contained a message specifically aimed at all Republicans that threatened violence if his demands were not met: “This goes to every Republican out there. You don’t start playing fair with them votes, I’ll start showing up with a gun, I promise you. I’ll show you what real [expletive] violence is, and I’m not afraid to kill you or a [expletive] cop.
The TikTok video was captioned, “This is a message to Donald Trump and the Republicans. If you don’t play. After a tip was received by the Springfield Police Department about this particular video, it was forwarded to the FBI for further investigation. Upon closer examination, law enforcement officials reported discovering additional threatening posts on the suspect’s Facebook page.
One of these postings, dated August 22nd, allegedly included a photograph of a firearm and ammunition, with White warning that any police officer who approached his residence would be met with violence. The complaint described these posts as containing explicit threats to “kill” and “beat the [expletive] life out” of police officers.
The tip led to the execution of a search warrant at White’s residence on August 29th, where FBI agents reportedly recovered firearms, ammunition, and further evidence supporting the charges against him. During his subsequent arrest and interview, White is said to have admitted to creating the threatening posts and expressed regret, claiming that he had “f—ed up” in posting the content out of anger.
He also allegedly detailed a shooting altercation with a police officer when he was approximately 16 or 17 years old, stating that he “beat” the case because the officer had allegedly shot at him first. White is reported to have expressed his dislike for cops due to incidents where officers were allegedly “aggressive or violent toward members of society.
White is currently in custody and faces up to five years in prison if convicted, as well as a fine of $250,000. A preliminary and detention hearing has been set for September 5th. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri had no further comment at the time of this publication, while an attorney listed as representing White did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.
