Iowa man sentenced for threatening Rep. Jerry Nadler

An Iowa man was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison for threatening Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).

Kenneth Brown, 57, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for calling Nadler’s office and telling a staffer that he would find someone to assassinate the New York Democrat, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Brown pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce in December 2020, authorities said.

At his plea hearing, the man admitted to calling Nadler’s office in Washington, D.C., in December 2019. During the call, Brown told a staff assistant, “I will find someone to assassinate that piece of [expletive] you work for. Jerry Nadler is going to be assassinated.”

At the time, Nadler was a key player in former President Trump’s first impeachment, which centered around Trump’s attempt to pressure Ukrainian leaders to open investigations into President Biden’s son Hunter Biden.

The House voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction over the incident.

Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was one of seven impeachment managers during the trial.

The Senate acquitted Trump on both charges in February 2020.

After his imprisonment, Brown will serve three years of supervised released.

In a statement to The Hill, Nadler said “I’m relieved that justice was served in Iowa, and I’m especially grateful to the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Iowa for their hard work in ensuring this outcome.” 

“Above all, I am saddened that it ever came to this—we in a democracy must always strive to voice our disagreements with civility, decency, and respect for one another, not with violence and threats,” Nadler said. 

Updated June 13 at 3:35 p.m.