Denver Police Investigating 'Hoax' Threat To Colorado Justices After Trump Ruling; FBI 'Aware'
Authored by Caden Pearson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Local and federal law enforcement are investigating a "hoax report" of threats made against Colorado Supreme Court justices who recently ruled that former President Donald Trump cannot appear on the state's primary ballots in the 2024 presidential election.
The Denver Police Department said law enforcement responded to a justice’s residence on Dec. 21 in the evening “on what appears to be a hoax report.”
“Everything checked clear and we are continuing to investigate this report. Due to security and privacy considerations and the ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide any additional information at this time,” Denver police said in a statement, reported CNN.
Denver police had reportedly provided "extra patrols around justice's residences," reported Axios.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spokesperson said the bureau was "aware of the situation and working with local law enforcement."
"We will vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence committed by someone who uses extremist views to justify their actions, regardless of motivation," the FBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The Epoch Times contacted the FBI, Denver PD, and the Colorado Judicial Branch for further comment.
The incident comes in the wake of the ruling by the Colorado high court, which is composed entirely of Democrat appointees, that President Trump is ineligible to appear on the state's primary ballot because he had engaged in "insurrection" during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Legacy media outlets have pointed to a non-public analysis they obtained from the nonprofit Advance Democracy, which reportedly notes the existence of "incendiary" rhetoric—but not specific threats—in online posts originating from the user accounts of purported Trump supporters.
The Epoch Times contacted Advance Democracy for a copy of the analysis and for a comment.
Denver police said they would continue to work with "our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate any reports of threats or harassment," and provide further safety support if and as requested.
'Peacefully & Patriotically'
President Trump has denied being an "insurrectionist," and in a Dec. 24 post on Truth Social, he said his critics always fail to acknowledge that in his Jan. 6, 2021, speech in Washington, D.C., he urged for "peaceful" protest.
He stated that the Jan. 6 House panel "of political hacks and thugs" never "show that I used the words 'peacefully & patriotically in my speech.'"
"They actually pretended that these words were never uttered," he wrote on Dec. 24. "Crooked politics!!!"
On Dec. 21, two days after the state's Supreme Court ruling, President Trump denied being an "insurrectionist" while asserting that the label in fact belongs to President Joe Biden due to his border policies.
He noted that he urged members of the crowd to "peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard" in his Jan. 6, 2021, speech, in which he told members of the crowd to head to the Capitol building.
The Trump campaign denounced the ruling as partisan, with President Trump calling it a "shame for our country."
His attorneys vowed to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, President Trump has claimed that the many indictments against him are part of a political "witch hunt" and "election interference," noting that he is rising in the polls while President Biden's approval ratings are slipping.
President Biden declined to comment on the Colorado Supreme Court decision but told reporters there was "no question" that the former president was an insurrectionist.
"Now, whether the 14th Amendment applies, I'll let the court make that decision," President Biden said. "But he certainly supported insurrection, no question about it, none, zero. And he seems to be doubling down on everything."
The Colorado Supreme Court ruling is expected to be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
