Independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin alleges a man threatened him and his wife after a campaign event.
In a “victim impact statement” filed this week in the District Court for Utah County, Utah, McMullin claimed motorist Jack Aaron Whelchel made threats with a gun, among other threats, against him and his wife in April in Utah.
UTAH INDEPENDENT EVAN MCMULLIN SAYS HE CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE SENATOR ABSENT PARTY LABEL
“In April, my wife and I were returning from a campaign event in southern Utah when we were followed, chased and threatened by a man brandishing a firearm. We later learned that the man has a history of promoting political violence on social media, though we do not know if that played any role in this incident,” McMullin said in a statement Saturday. “Regardless, he put my life and the life of my wife at risk and I am cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities who have charged him with related crimes.”
Whelchel’s attorney pushed back on claims by McMullin when speaking with CNN, insisting Whelchel, 44, “never brandished a firearm” and stressing that his client thought McMullin was following him.
Whelchel has been charged with threatening or using a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct. He has pleaded not guilty, and pretrial hearings are scheduled to begin Sept. 2, according to Desert News.
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McMullin, a former CIA officer who ran an unsuccessful independent bid for president in 2016, is running against Republican incumbent Mike Lee for the U.S. Senate in Utah. He has received the backing of the state’s Democratic Party.
