Government agencies believed 75-year-old Craig Robertson was a danger to Biden’s upcoming trip to Utah.
QUICK FACTS:
- Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have shot and killed 75-year-old Provo, Utah resident Craig Robertson, after he made threatening social media posts against Joe Biden and other government officials.
- Robertson was killed while the FBI was serving a warrant.
- In one Facebook post, Robert allegedly called Attorney Merrick Garland a “demented weasel.”
- According to The Washington Post, Robertson allegedly wrote in another post, “THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR A PRESIDENTIAL ASSASSINATION OR TWO. FIRST JOE THEN KAMALA!!!”
- Upon hearing that Biden was to visit Salt Lake City, Robertson posted on social media, “I HEAR BIDEN IS COMING TO UTAH. DIGGING OUT MY OLD GHILLE SUIT AND CLEANING THE DUST OFF THE M24 SNIPER RIFLE.”
- FBI agents approached Robertson in March but were told, “Don’t return without a warrant!”
- The FBI later returned with a warrant and ultimately killed Robertson.
- According to neighbors, Robertson was a “frail, elderly man” who used a “hand-carved stick” to assist in walking.
- One local stated, “There’s no way that he was driving from here to Salt Lake City, setting up a rifle and taking a shot at the President – 100 percent no way.”
- An anonymous neighbor described Robertson as a “very sweet older gentleman.”
STATEMENT FROM FBI:
- The FBI’s Utah office spokeswoman Sandra Barker said the agency is “reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred around 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 in Provo, Utah.”
- The situation occurred “when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence. The subject is deceased. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,” Barker explained. “In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide.”
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith reported that the House Judiciary Committee alleged that the FBI had multiple field offices involved in an effort to target traditional Catholics.
- The allegation contradicts the testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray, who stated that only a single field office was involved.
- “This new information suggests that the FBI’s use of its law enforcement capabilities to intrude on American’s First Amendment rights is more widespread than initially suspected and reveals inconsistencies with your previous testimony before the Committee,” reads a letter from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government Chairman Mike Johnson (R-LA).
- The letter calls for Wray to “amend your testimony to fully explain the nature and scope of the FBI’s assessment of traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists.”
