A Texas woman is facing federal charges after allegedly threatening the judge overseeing the legal battle over records that were seized by the FBI last month from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
Tiffani Gish of Texas left three threatening voicemails on Sept. 1 with the chamber of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, an FBI agent said in court documents.
"Donald Trump has been ... marked for assassination," Gish said in one of the calls, according to the documents. "I'm going to [expletive] have you shot myself," she allegedly said in another, adding, "I've already ordered snipers and a bomb to your [expletive] house."
In a third call, Gish is accused of telling Cannon, "I'm going to take my [expletive] to [expletive] Florida and I'm going to personally throw a bullet to your [expletive] head in front of your kids."
Gish claimed the judge was obstructing justice, according to partial transcripts of the calls provided by the FBI to the federal court in Houston.
In several calls, she identified herself using the pseudonym "Evelyn Salt," a character in the movie "Salt." An investigation of the calls, assisted by the U.S. Secret Service, identified Gish as the caller.
Gish has previously made threats against Trump, according to the court documents.
When U.S. Marshals approached Gish's home on Sept. 4, she refused to allow agents in and spoke with them through a window. After some time, she invited agents inside. Overall, she spoke with them for approximately 45 minutes.
Gish admitted to leaving the voicemails and operating a Facebook page on which the threats against Trump were made, the FBI agent said.
Gish was charged with influencing a federal official by threat and interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure.
Gish faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted.
A public defender representing the defendant declined to comment. "It is our office’s policy that attorneys are not permitted to speak with the media," Heather Hughes, the lawyer, told The Epoch Times via email.
Gish was ordered detained, pending trial on Sept. 9. U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray entered the order, finding that the weight of evidence against Gish is strong and that she has a history of criminal acts and violence.
He said the defendant appears to suffer "from severe mental impairments with symptoms including paranoia and delusions." Gish's mother has said that she is in fear of her daughter and that her daughter has been violent against her in the past, the judge said.
"Unfortunately, given her mental problems, Gish has no self-control and is not likely to follow this court's orders," Bray said. "The court believes she will continue making online threats, will not show up for court, and will not follow the supervising officer's instructions."
He also said that Gish's criminal history includes assaulting law enforcement officers.
