NBC NEWS: Authorities arrested and charged a man in Florida over alleged social media threats against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Michael M. Wiseman was arrested Friday on charges of written threats to kill, according to a statement from the Jupiter Police Department in Florida.
“After investigating the reports and the suspect’s Facebook account, JPD detectives found that Wiseman had made multiple threats against Trump and Vance, who earlier this week became the Republican nominees for President and Vice President, respectively,” the statement said. “Threats were also made concerning bodily harm to members of the Trump and Vance families.”
Police did not provide further details about Wiseman.
Wiseman’s lawyer, Tama Beth Kudman, declined to comment.
The arrest comes less than a week after the assassination attempt on Trump, which has led to scrutiny of the Secret Service and concerns about escalating political violence.
Police in Jupiter said they coordinated their investigation of Wiseman with the Secret Service and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office. Police said they were initially alerted to “threats through multiple online crime tips as well as residents who expressed their concern in person.”
A spokesperson for the Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday night.
Trump was shot in the ear last Saturday at a campaign rally, where one rallygoer died and two others were injured. The shooter was killed shortly after he opened fire at the event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Threats against members of Congress increased last year, according to figures from the U.S. Capitol Police. The USCP investigated 8,008 cases involving potential threats in 2023, an increase from the previous year, and a significant jump from 5,206 cases in 2018.
