The border militia leader arrested over the weekend first came to the FBI’s attention in October 2017, according to a court document unsealed Monday, after the bureau learned that he “allegedly made the statement that [his militia] the United Constitutional Patriots were training to assassinate George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama, because of these individuals’ support of Antifa.”
The filing makes clear that militia leader Larry Mitchell Hopkins was on the radar of law enforcement long before the ACLU of New Mexico last week flagged videos of armed members of the United Constitutional Patriots members “arresting” migrants and falsely identifying themselves as federal agents.
After the civil liberties group called on New Mexico’s governor and attorney general to investigate the militia’s activities, Hopkins was arrested for possessing a firearm as a felon, which is itself a felony.
In a court filing Monday, FBI special agent David S. Gabriel said FBI agents “immediately observed approximately 10 firearms” upon entering what Hopkins told them was his “office,” inside his home in northern New Mexico in November 2017. Per the filing, Hopkins told the officers the guns belonged to his “common law wife.”
Hopkins has prior convictions for felony possession of a firearm and felony impersonation of a peace officer.
Hopkins’ lawyer, former conservative radio host Kelly O’Connell, questioned why his client was being arrested for the 2017 incident over a year later in an interview with The New York Times.
“Why now?” O’Connell said, suggesting that the FBI was only acting in response to pressure from Democratic officials.
O’Connell also denied that United Constitutional Patriots trained to carry out assassinations, telling the Times, “My client told me that is not true.” He said Hopkins planned to plead not guilty.
Gives me warm feelings to know that the FBI visited someone who boasted of committing multiple felonies, observed additional apparent felonies, but didn’t bother to take action or (apparently) investigate further until pressed.
This is the second time in two days that I’ve heard about potential physical violence against my fellow Americans. I am deeply concerned that the Republican Party — running on a conservative “movement” that speaks of exterminating liberals, me and my family — would be perfectly content to let society deteriorate into out-and-out violence.
In the past, I’ve heard of bomb threats against Democrats, murder threats, abduction threats. Is our government our enemy? Does the Republican Party really seek genocide?
His lawyer says the allegations aren’t true. So on the one hand there’s that. On the other hand is everything you know about life in general and thuggish hysterical morons like these militia loons in particular.
So as long as you don’t make public threats to kill a sitting POTUS, you can get away with kidnapping people at gun point if they are brown.
Got it.
They probably gave him a fist bump when leaving. They’ve never been known as a bunch of liberal pansies.