A 73-year-old Yucca Valley man, Thomas Eugene Streavel, has been charged with making threats to assassinate former President Donald Trump, following last year's election. The U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California reports that Streavel was arraigned on a three-count federal grand jury indictment on Wednesday, facing allegations of posting multiple messages on Facebook expressing his intent to harm the then-President-elect.
Streavel, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, was arrested on Monday and subsequently released on $10,000 bond after today's arraignment. His trial is set to begin on July 28. As stated in the indictment, he was alleged to have continued to post threatening messages even after the election, officials highlighting the gravity of such threats, which aim to seriously undermine the safety of political figures and other individuals involved. "There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States," said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
According to details from the indictment returned by a federal grand jury on May 29 and unsealed today, one of Streavel's Facebook posts dated November 6, 2024, read, "[T]rump is a dead man walking for the time being until a patriot like myself blows his [expletive] brains out in the very near future." Streavel's social media rants didn't halt there; on November 12, 2024, he posted a message that included, "willing to make America great again and blow his [expletive] brains out," as reported by the Department of Justice's news release.
The United States Secret Service continues to handle the investigation into these threats. Assistant United States Attorney Matt Coe-Odess of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section will be leading the prosecution. The Department of Justice has emphasized through Attorney General Pamela Bondi that threats against the President will be met with the utmost seriousness and will see prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. For further inquiries, Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy provided contact details through the Justice Department's press release.
