A man from Georgia who was armed with an assault rifle, a Glock, and a pistol allegedly said he was going to “put a bullet in” Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “noggin on live TV” in a text message, according to the New York Times. Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr. was arrested last week following the attack on the Capitol, the Washington Post reported, and charged with making interstate threats to Pelosi, the Department of Justice said in a press release. He’s also been charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition, the Times reported.Meredith was reportedly staying at a Holiday Inn in Washington, but told the FBI that he arrived from Colorado too late for the storming of the Capitol, which left five people dead and the country in a constitutional crisis. “I’m trying but currently stuck in Cambridge, OH with trailer lights being fixed,” Meredith wrote in one text message to friends, the FBI said. In other text messages, he allegedly threatened to run Pelosi over and said he was in possession of “a ton of 5.56 armor piercing ammo.”The owner of a car wash in Georgia, Meredith paid for a billboard linking his business to the QAnon conspiracy in 2018. At the time, Meredith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was “a patriot among the millions who love this country.”Pelosi and other members of Congress were under threat last week when Trump supporters rioted in the Capitol, shutting down the process of certifying President-elect Joe Biden as the election winner for several hours. Rioters who breached the Capitol chanted “Where’s Nancy,” the Washington Post reported, and some ultimately broke into Pelosi’s office, damaging property and stealing at least one laptop. 60-year-old Richard Barnett of Arkansas was arrested Friday after a widely-circulated photograph depicted him with his feet up on a desk in Pelosi’s office.
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In an interview with ‘60 Minutes’ that aired Sunday, Pelosi laid the blame for the attack at the feet of President Donald Trump, who encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol Wednesday. In a letter to House members Sunday night, Pelosi said the House would begin proceedings to attempt to remove Trump — either via the 25th Amendment or impeachment – this week. "What happened was a terrible, terrible violation of the Capitol...,of the legislative branch of government by the president of the United States," Pelosi said.
Dozens of arrests have been made in connection with the mob, according to the U.S. attorney in D.C., including now-resigned former West Virginia state delegate Derrick Evans and an Alabama man who authorities say had an assault rifle and 11 Molotov cocktails in his truck. On Sunday, the DOJ announced charges against two men who were armed with tactical gear and restraints including zip ties during the riots at the Capitol.