A man from Illinois has been charged with making violent threats against a federal judge in the Florida district that handled Donald Trump's classified documents case, according to an indictment made public on Thursday.
Eric James Rennert, 65, faces five federal charges for communicating interstate threats and threatening to assault, kidnap and murder a federal judge. Prosecutors allege the communications also included threats to injure or kidnap members of the judge's family.
Court documents do not name the judge but indicate the threats occurred in St Lucie County, Florida, where US district judge Aileen Cannon is based. Cannon presided over the criminal case accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified documents.
The threats, made on three occasions in May and July, were intended to retaliate against the judge on account of the performance of official duties, according to the indictment. Rennert has been arrested and will be transported to Florida for his next court appearance; he has not yet entered a plea.
Cannon, appointed by Trump, dismissed all charges in July, ruling that special counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed. Prosecutors are appealing the decision. A woman in Texas was sentenced to more than three years in prison in February after admitting to threatening Cannon.
