Man charged in voicemail threats against Maxine Waters

A Houston man was arrested and charged for leaving several threatening voicemails with Rep. Maxine Waters’ (D-Calif.) office last year, court documents show.

Brian Michael Gaherty, 60, allegedly left multiple racist voicemails with Waters’ office in Hawthorne, Calif., in August and November 2022 threatening to kill or assault the congresswoman, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Michael Guest said in an affidavit filed on Thursday.

Gaherty, who appeared to identify himself as white in one of the voicemails, has also reportedly left at least 11 voicemails threatening to assault two other congresswomen of color since last September.

Capitol Police began investigating the threats after one of Waters’ staffers spoke with Gaherty in November 2022.

“Tell Congresswoman Maxine Waters when I see her on the street I’m going to bust her upside her head,” Gaherty allegedly said to the staffer, adding, “F—, who this is, tell that lying B—- I’m looking for her.”

Gaherty was later identified as the same individual who left four other racist voicemails with Waters’ office in August and earlier in November.

In one voicemail, Gaherty accused the 84-year-old congresswoman, who is Black, of “trying to remember 1960 and all that” and “causing controversy.”

The 60-year-old Houston resident also has a “history of sending racist, violent threats to other congresswomen,” leaving 10 such voicemails for one of them between September 2022 and February 2023 and another for a separate lawmaker in November 2022, Guest said in the affidavit.

“My people going to do some damage on you. You know what I’m saying?” Gaherty allegedly said in a September voicemail to one congresswoman. “Now we’re not going to kill you. We’re gonna make you suffer a b—-. You better act right…”

After Capitol Police spoke with Gaherty in October, he left another voicemail for the congresswoman.

“You snitch… Now we gotta come over here and take care of our f—— business. You know what I’m saying?” he allegedly said. “Be careful, b—-. Watch your back, man.”

Capitol Police investigated about 7,500 potential threats against members of Congress in 2022, down from the last two years but still abnormally high.