A federal grand jury indicted a California man on federal charges of attempting to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The man, identified as Nicholas Roske, 26, was arrested near Kavanaugh's Maryland home with a handgun and burglary tools last week after he allegedly told law enforcement authorities that he traveled to Maryland intending to kill the justice.
- If convicted, Roske faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison for attempting to assassinate a justice of the U.S., though the Justice Department said the actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.
A criminal complaint issued against Roske last week claimed that he, after seeing police officers in front of Kavanaugh's house, called 911 and told the operator that he had a firearm, was having suicidal thoughts and had traveled from California to kill Kavanaugh.
- He was arrested by Montgomery County Police Department officers while still on the line.
- In a backpack Roske was allegedly wearing, law enforcement officials found a black tactical vest and tactical knife, a pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crow bar, pistol light, duct tape, hiking boots with padding on the outside of the soles.
- The complaint claimed that Roske later told detectives that he was upset by the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade and the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
The big picture: The House passed legislation this week that would expand Supreme Court Police protection to...