Lawrence Jackson/White House/Zuma

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

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.   

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate