Guilty plea follows threat to Pelosi

A Georgia man who had an assault rifle and was headed to Washington for the Jan. 6 proTrump rally at the U.S. Capitol has pleaded guilty to sending threatening text messages about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The man, Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr., wrote to an acquaintance the day after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol that he would put “a bullet in her noggin on Live TV,” federal authorities said. In other messages, he said he would run over Pelosi.

“I predict that within 12 days, many in our country will die,” he wrote.

Meredith had been staying at a Holiday Inn in Washington and had weapons in his camperstyle trailer, including a Glock handgun, an assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to court records.

He was one of the first 13 people charged in federal court after a mob in support of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. He was charged in January with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition, according to court records.

Meredith pleaded guilty to the interstate communications charge and faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under a plea agreement, he is expected to face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $75,000, according to court documents.

Meredith missed the Capitol riot because he arrived in Washington too late after driving from Colorado, he told investigators.

The Atlanta JournalConstitution reported that U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Friday asked Meredith if he wrote a text threatening to kill Pelosi. “It was political hyperbole,” Meredith said. “But I did text that.”