The Department of Justice charged a Texas woman accused of making threats via phone calls against the federal judge in Florida who is presiding over the appointment of a special master to review documents that the FBI seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate.
Tiffani Shea Gish of Houston allegedly left a series of threatening voicemails for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is based out of Fort Pierce, Florida. Gish faces two felony criminal charges: influencing a federal official by threat and interstate communications with a threat to injure or kidnap, according to a criminal complaint filed on Sept. 6.
The complaint added that on Sept. 3, Cannon forwarded three separate voicemails from Gish, who also referred to herself in some messages as “Evelyn Salt,” to the U.S. Marshals Service.
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“Again, you’re full of s***, and I’m going to have you f***ing shot myself. I’ve already ordered snipers and bombs to your f***ing house,” Gish allegedly told Cannon in one voicemail on Sept. 1, according to an FBI agent who signed off on the complaint document.
Additionally, Gish allegedly had a Facebook account under the name “Tiffani S Gish” from which she appeared to make similar threatening remarks. She claimed to be a nuclear expert and that “Donald sold my nuclear f***ing arsenal and decided to slam it into the World Trade Center,” according to the complaint.
The Secret Service was also aware of previous threatening comments Gish made toward Trump, the complaint added.
After FBI agents identified a cellphone number associated with the voicemails, they interviewed Gish at her home. The agency said she admitted to leaving the voicemails and confirmed the number belonged to her and that no one had access to her phone, according to the complaint.
Gish was ordered to be detained pending trial by Magistrate Judge Peter Bray on Friday, who said she “appears to suffer from severe mental impairments with symptoms including paranoia and delusions.” A competency hearing for Gish is scheduled for Tuesday at the request of prosecutors.
The alternate name by which Gish referred to herself is an apparent reference to the 2010 movie Salt starring Angelina Jolie, in which the actress plays the character “Evelyn Salt,” who is accused of being a Russian sleeper agent.
Since the Aug. 8 raid at Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, there have been numerous threats against various FBI agents and even threats against Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who was thrust into the spotlight after signing off on the Aug. 5 request from the FBI to search Trump’s Florida home.
An official with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department told the Washington Examiner on Aug. 11 that the department is “aware of the threats” against Reinhart.
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That same day, Attorney General Merrick Garland denounced the “unfounded attacks” against government officials, saying he would “not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked.”
The Washington Examiner contacted the DOJ and an attorney representing Gish for comment.
