Man charged with threatening Congressman Jim McDermott in Seattle

SEATTLE (AP) — A man is facing felony charges for allegedly threatening to cut out U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott's tongue.


Seattlepi.com reports (http://goo.gl/aFM6K2 ) that Jasper K. Bell has been charged with intimidating a public servant and telephone harassment for the April 22 incident in Seattle.

King County prosecutors say the 27-year-old issued the threat because he was upset that McDermott was supporting Hillary Clinton and not Bernie Sanders for president.

Court documents say Bell made nearly two dozen threatening calls to McDermott before visiting his office and pounding on a window. He was arrested later that day.

The threats had prompted a police presence outside McDermott's office and home. Documents say McDermott told investigators he brought a shovel to his office "to use in self-defense if necessary."

Detectives say Bell apologized for his bad choice of words. He remains jailed on $200,000 bail.