Who is Christopher Kent Podlesnik? Wyoming man who told Matt Gaetz he'd 'put two in his head' pleads not guilty
LARAMIE, WYOMING: A man has pleaded not guilty to the several charges he faced after sending death threats to several Republicans, including Matt Gaetz. The elected officials received threatening voicemails on the day when they held a rally in Wyoming to unseat Liz Cheney for voting to impeach Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, March 30, the accused identified as Christopher Kent Podlesnik appeared in a court where he pleaded "not guilty". He has seven felony charges against him, and is branded by US law as “threats in interstate commerce.” A statement from the Department of Justice added, “In the indictment, a federal grand jury charged Podlesnik with leaving voicemail messages threatening various elected officials on January 28, 2021, including members of Congress.”
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The March 30 court appearance of the suspect, 51, occured as investigations are underway scrutinizing allegations against Gaetz for sex trafficking. The politician, 38, is accused of being involved in a relationship with a 17-year-old girl two years ago. But he has dismissed these accusations.
According to the arrest affidavit, Podlesnik sent a voicemail to the office of Senator John Barrasso in which he said, “I will [expletive] see that Matt Gaetz gets killed when he [expletive] gets here.” He added in another mail: “You let Gaetz step into the State of Wyoming, not only is he going to be dead, are you, you're going to be dead.”
The accused also sent threatening messages to Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, two for Wyoming state Senator Anthony Bouchard, and one for Gaetz. All of them were holding a rally on January 28 at the Wyoming Capitol to denounce Cheney’s impeachment vote against the former president.
The voicemail directly for Gaetz stated: “I'm not going to [expletive] ask you why you [expletive] think you should be killed, I'm just going to [expletive] put two in your head." If found guilty of each of the seven charges, Podlesnik could face 35 years behind bars and $1.75m in fines.
A hearing into the case has been scheduled for June 1 in Casper in front of the federal judge, Scott Skavdahl. Until then, Podlesnik has been put under house arrest and has been banned from traveling outside the state or to Natrona and Laramie counties.
Earlier, acting US attorney Bob Murray stated, “As Americans, we cherish the freedoms secured by our Bill of Rights, including our freedom of speech. However, true threats of violence are not protected by the Constitution. Working with the FBI and other partners, the United States Attorney’s Office will continue to investigate such threats and seek charges in appropriate cases.”
FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider noted, “The FBI remains committed to protecting the civil liberties of all Americans to include First Amendment protected speech. We are equally committed to investigating violations of federal law when speech threatens violence and physical harm to others.”
Meanwhile, Gaetz shared a series of tweets to prove his innocence in the possible sex trafficking case. He tweeted, “Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name. We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter…”
Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 30, 2021
We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter...
He continued, “...and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI’s direction to catch these criminals. The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true"
Claiming that the allegations against him were lies made up by people who were being targetted by the ongoing extortion investigation, he stated: "I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations.”
...and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI’s direction to catch these criminals. The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 30, 2021
No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets...
...of the ongoing extortion investigation.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 30, 2021
I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations.