March 17, 2021

Heavily Armed Man Arrested Outside Residence of VP Kamala Harris

Lawrence Jackson/White House/Zuma

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A man in possession of a rifle and ammunition was arrested outside the Naval Observatory, which contains Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence, Wednesday afternoon. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, do not currently live at the Naval Observatory because it is undergoing renovations.

According to police bulletins, the Texas man, a former Army drone operator who was apparently experiencing paranoid delusions, said he was going to DC “to take care of his problem.” He was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, carrying a rifle or shotgun outside of a business, possession of unregistered ammunition, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

The incident was particularly worrisome given the recent violence at the Capitol, and the base personal attacks former President Trump and his minions leveled against Harris during the campaign and beyond. Among other things, Trump has referred to Harris as mean, “nasty,” “horrible,” “disrespectful,” “shameless,” and a “disaster,” and said that electing her would be “an insult to our country.”

While the suspect’s political ideologies are not yet clear, one can only imagine how a mentally unhinged fan of the former president might interpret such attacks on the vice president’s character.   

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Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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