Left: Donald Trump speaks at the annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, D.C., in June 2024 (Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP). Right: Cody Smith (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
A West Virginia man has admitted to threatening to snipe President Donald Trump with a .308 rifle in messages to his son, Donald Trump Jr., according to court filings.
Cody Smith, 20, has admitted guilt after being charged with threatening the president and retaliating against federal officials by threat, the Justice Department announced in a press release.
According to court filings, Smith admitted to making threats to kill the president and to harm ICE agents. His lawyer and prosecutors both confirmed to U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi that there was "no plea agreement in this case" and Smith stated "in open court that he fully understood he was pleading guilty" to those charges, according to a July 2 filing.
"No other agreements had been made between himself and the government," the filing says. "In addition, defendant and counsel acknowledged that a plea agreement was presented to defendant, but that in any event, he decided to plead guilty to count two and count three without a plea agreement."
Smith had been charged with two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder, and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder for a series of threatening statements that he made, according to the DOJ. He was arrested in January for making terroristic threats against Trump supporters and ICE agents, with Harrison County jail records showing he was booked on those charges.
Smith's charges were later upgraded after his presidential threats indictment was handed down. He was ordered detained at a March 24 hearing.
Prosecutors said Smith went into detail about how he wanted to cut open Trump's "jugular" and watch "the life" leave his "pathetic eyes" in direct messages (DMs) to Trump Jr.
He also made a social media post with a song titled "I Am Going to Kill the President," accompanied by a threat to "IMPEACH THIS MOTHERF—ER WITH A .308."
"I will kill you[r] b— a— dad," Smith said in an Instagram post that had both Trump and Trump Jr. tagged.
"I'm going to rape your worthless father … with his jugular cut while the life leaves his pathetic eyes," Smith blasted in an Instagram direct message to Trump Jr.
According to his indictment, Smith railed about Trump, Trump Jr., and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his online posts, and called into the "ICE tip line" to provide his name and city of residence — Clarksburg — while making death threats.
"Im gonna give them my name and where to find me so stay tuned you might get to see me rape and kill some proud Nazi boy f—s," Smith allegedly posted, before calling the tip line.
Smith's own dad alleged that the 20-year-old pulled a rifle on someone in the past, according to a detention order issued by Aloi.
"Defendant's father explained that defendant has previously brandished a .22 rifle with someone who defendant had a disagreement with," the order said, citing information provided by the DOJ and federal prosecutors while arguing for Smith to be detained.
"Considering the totality of the underlying nature of the charges, which are credible inasmuch as they are defendant's statements, and the prior behavior of defendant, the government argued there is sufficient evidence that defendant poses a danger to community and thus, his detention is warranted," Aloi said.
Prosecutors said the initial investigation into Smith began in January, when the Harrison County Sheriff's Office contacted the West Virginia State Police about someone making threats. According to authorities, Smith had posted videos of himself in which he stated his intent to harm others.
In the videos, Smith called the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and said "he was going to attack and kill ICE agents," according to prosecutors. He also allegedly threatened the person who answered his call.
"The safety and security of those we protect is our highest priority and all threats against the President of the United States will be investigated and prosecuted," said Tad Lipscomb, the resident agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service resident office in Charleston, West Virginia, in a statement. "We are grateful for our law enforcement partners at HSI, the FBI, the West Virginia State Police, and the Harrison County Sheriff's Office, as well as the federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia for their assistance during this case."
Smith is facing up to five years in federal prison for the presidential threat charge and up to 10 years for the threats against ICE. His defense lawyer had argued in court filings that he "suffers from a serious addiction to controlled substances" that began when he was 12 years old. Aloi acknowledged this in his March 24 detention order.
"The undersigned acknowledges defendant's substance abuse issues, however, those issues do not negate the seriousness of the charges and the underlying conduct," Aloi said.
Aloi will recommend to Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh of the Northern District of West Virginia that Smith's guilty plea be accepted. A sentencing date was not immediately set.
Comments