Another criminal dupe gets prison for election threat while real culprits walk free

Another one of the criminal dupes who threatened Arizona election officials was sentenced to prison this week, further proving that the Justice Department is doing a bang-up job prosecuting the gullible foot soldiers who clumsily threatened – and still threaten – our democracy, while the politicians and media shills who inspire them walk free.

This time around it was 40-year-old James W. Clark from Massachusetts who will be doing 3-plus years for leaving threatening voicemails for then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

Among other things, Clark said if Hobbs didn’t resign by a specific date and time “the explosive device impacted in her personal space will be detonated.”

Before him there was Frederick Francis Goltz of Texas, who was sentenced to more than 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to making threats targeting Republican officials, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Attorney's Office Civil Division Chief Tom Liddy and poll workers.

The list of those convicted of threats grows

And there was the Iowa man, Mark Rissi, who got 2½ years in the slammer for threats targeting Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman and former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

He said in part, “When we come to lynch your stupid lying Commie (expletive), you’ll remember that you lied. You’re gonna die. … We’re going to hang you. We’re going to hang you."

In a statement after Clark’s sentencing, FBI Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis said, “Election officials, their staffs, and volunteers are essential to our democracy and any threat to these public servants is completely unacceptable. As part of our mission to defend the democratic process, this case demonstrates that the FBI remains prepared to respond to these threats in an urgent and timely fashion."

Current Secretary of State Adrian Fontes posted on X: “It is essential that everyone understands the severity of threatening or attempting to intimidate election workers. Such actions are not only criminal but also attack the very core of our democratic values.”

The liars and cowards who kowtow to Trump

Arizona election officials received thousands of threats after the 2020 election. No exaggeration. Thousands.

The Big Lie started with Donald Trump and was echoed by sycophants like Kari Lake and just about every other Republican politician and right-wing media outlet, some of whom spread the false claim of election tampering because they wanted to believe it, others simply because they were (and still are) afraid of Trump and what he can do to their careers.

Liars or cowards. Or both.

And they have not stopped, even after Fox News wound up paying Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800 million to avoid the embarrassment of a trial in the voting machine company’s lawsuit.

Dummies won't stop until the people telling them lies do

Even knowing that Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer will most likely receive a big fat financial judgement in his defamation suit against Kari Lake.

None of that is stopping Trump or his minions from continuing to spread disinformation, which will put other dedicated public servants in the crosshairs of Trump’s most unstable cultists.

Law enforcement can, and should, come down hard on those who threaten public officials.

But in the case of those who’ve been duped into believing the Big Lie, it’s like punishing the dummies and not the ventriloquists.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Election threat gets prison while real culprits walk free