SEATTLE — A 27-year-old man accused of threatening to cut out the tongue of U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott has pleaded guilty to threatening a federal official.
The Seattle Times reported Jasper Bell could face up to a year in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 28. He entered his plea in federal court in Seattle on Thursday.
Prosecutors said Bell issued the threat because he was upset the longtime Democratic congressman was supporting Hillary Clinton, not Bernie Sanders, for president.
Authorities said Bell harassed and threatened McDermott so often that the congressman’s staff recognized Bell’s voice and number. Bell called McDermott’s office in Seattle and Washington, D.C., 23 times in one hour on April 22, and showed up at his office.
Prosecutors said McDermott told police he was so unnerved by the incident that he brought a shovel into his office “to use in self-defense if necessary.”
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