On Tuesday, it was reported that a man from California had been sentenced to two years in prison for making death threats against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The man was apprehended in Iowa while on a cross-country trip.
In Iowa Southern District Court, a judge sentenced 27-year-old Kuachua Brillion Xiong from Sacramento County, who previously worked as a grocery clerk in Merced. Xiong was indicted in 2022 for making threats against President Biden and Vice President Harris, along with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The suspect faced charges of trying to kidnap or kill several high-profile politicians. These include Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California, and Senator Mitt Romney of Utah.
As part of a plea agreement reached in January, all other charges were dismissed, except for the charge of threatening both Biden and Harris. Court documents show that he was also directed to pay $100 to a crime victim’s fund.
According to the complaint, law enforcement stopped Xiong in Iowa in December 2021 for driving recklessly through traffic. During the investigation, it was discovered that the GPS in Xiong’s car displayed the address of the White House. When questioned, Xiong stated that he had left his home in California and was driving across the country.
According to the complaint, Xiong stated that he was heading to D.C. due to his disapproval of the government’s handling of child sex abuse. During the search of his vehicle, officials discovered an AR-15 style rifle, multiple loaded magazines, boxes of ammunition, as well as various pieces of body armor and medical kits.
According to the complaint, Xiong holds the belief that he is the sole individual capable of liberating the United States from its corrupt state, and deems it imperative to eliminate those in authoritative roles.
According to the complaint, Xiong had revealed his plan of climbing over the perimeter fencing of the White House using a grappling hook to access the building and execute those listed on his hit list.
During the legal proceedings, federal defense attorneys had speculated that Xiong might plead insanity in the case. However, he was deemed competent to stand trial and was subsequently ordered to do so.