A Duluth, Georgia, man was arraigned Tuesday on charges he threatened to commit sexual violence against two Republican U.S. senators, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced.
U.S. Capitol police and the FBI said they launched an investigation in January after Robert Davis Forney, 25, of Duluth, Georgia, called the offices of two U.S. senators and left threatening voicemails.
On Jan. 9, he allegedly called the office of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and left a voicemail threatening sexual violence against him and his family, authorities said. The next day, Forney called the office of U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, and left a voicemail also threatening sexual violence against her, according to the charges.
FBI-Atlanta agents later arrested Forney. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia on June 10. On Tuesday, he was arraigned before a federal magistrate judge on federal charges of communicating threats in interstate commerce.
“Threatening our elected officials and their families is an act of violence that undermines our entire democracy,” U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said. “Political discourse and disagreements never justify resorting to vile attacks against our nation’s leaders.”
In response to concerns raised by constituents, a spokesperson from Fischer’s office said, “The senator appreciates Nebraskans’ concerns and their kind words. She is continuing to do her job on their behalf.”
An FBI and U.S. Capitol Police investigation is also ongoing. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting the case.
“Targeting public officials with threatening messages is a serious federal crime,” FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said. “There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States. We will not hesitate to arrest and charge others who engage in similar criminal conduct.”
This is not the first time Cruz has been the target threats. On June 14, 2024, anti-Israel protestors gathered outside of his Houston home for the 23rd time. For six months, anti-Israel protestors came to his home “just about every Sat morning at 7 am and most Fri nights until 10 or 11 pm,” Cruz said. “They scream, disturb the peace & wake the neighbors. No matter how much these antisemites cheer Hamas, I will stand with Israel,” The Center Square reported.
One month after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack against Israel, another Hispanic Republican Texan, U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, was targeted, The Center Square reported.
Her McAllen office was vandalized twice by pro-Hamas activists after she expressed support for Israel. Spray painted messages in red paint read, “Israel kills Jews too,” “Monica murders,” and “You can’t escape your crimes Monica.”
In response, she said: “Let me be crystal clear: These acts of vandalism will never intimidate me, silence me, or stop me from opposing antisemitism and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.
It remains unclear what Forney’s motivation was.
Politically motivated violence has continued as some Democratic lawmakers are accused of assaulting and calling for violence against ICE agents, a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband were assassinated, and a North Carolina lawmaker was urged to resign after posting an image of a beheaded President Donald Trump. The president has so far survived two assassination attempts.
