Federal prosecutors charged a Michigan man after threatening emails were sent to the attorney representing the whistleblower behind the report that led to President Trump’s impeachment.
Mark Zaid, who represented the unnamed whistleblower, allegedly received threatening messages from a man authorities identified as Brittan Atkinson shortly after Trump held up tweets Zaid had published about his client in front of the press.
Atkinson sent some horrific emails to Zaid, according to authorities. One of the messages said: “All traitors must die miserable deaths. Those that represent traitors shall meet the same fate. We will hunt you down and bleed you out like the pigs you are. We have nothing but time, and you are running out of it.”
He added: “Keep looking over your shoulder. We know who you are, where you live, and who you associate with. We are all strangers in a crowd to you.”
Federal law prohibits “communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another.” If Atkinson is found guilty, he could spend up to five years in prison.
Zaid told Politico that this was the first time someone had been charged with sending threatening messages, but noted that he had received many others.
His legal partner, Bradley Moss, also received threatening messages around the time that Trump discussed their defense of the whistleblower. Moss claimed that he had a “ton of hate mail and death threats.”
Zaid lauded the prosecutors for following through with the case. He said: “It’s not appropriate for anyone to threaten another individual’s life, regardless of political views. My job was to ensure the rule of law was followed in how whistleblowers are treated. That role should not be negatively weaponized by partisans. I hope this indictment sends a message to others that such behavior will not be tolerated by a civil society that is governed by law.”
Trump told reporters in November that he believed Zaid committed treason and “should be sued” over tweets he had posted in 2017. At the time, Zaid tweeted that a “coup has started” against Trump that would eventually lead to impeachment.
