A man arrested in connection with Wednesday’s attack on Capitol Hill sent text messages in which he considered shooting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the head.
Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr., who was charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition, sent a text message Wednesday that read: “Thinking about heading over to Pelosi C—‘s speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV.” The message was followed by a purple devil emoji, according to the Daily Beast.
Meredith had been staying at a Holiday Inn in Washington and was found with a Glock handgun, a pistol, a Tavor X95 assault rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, according to the New York Times. He is one of 13 individuals charged in federal court in connection with Wednesday’s violence.
“Dead B—- Walking. I predict that within 12 days, many in our country will die,” another text read.
At least four protests were scheduled in Washington, D.C., for Wednesday, the day Congress was expected to count the votes of the Electoral College and certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Those protests descended into chaos as demonstrators breached the congressional building — smashing windows, breaking into offices, and looting rooms.
President Trump stoked the chaos throughout the day, repeating claims of widespread voter fraud and telling his supporters “we will never give up” and “we will never concede.” Trump called for peace after protesters breached the Capitol but in a series of follow-up tweets sympathized with and appeared to defend his extremist supporters, saying in a deleted tweet, “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots.”
In 2018, Meredith put up a billboard with the name of his business on it that also said “#QANON,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Meredith told the outlet at the time that he was “a patriot among the millions who love this country.”
Meredith told federal agents that he had not arrived in time for the protests, claiming that he was “stuck in Cambridge, OH with trailer lights being fixed,” according to a text message he sent to his friends.
