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Man who threatened Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, others, found guilty

U. S Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers takes the stage at the Davenport Grand Hotel after defeating Lisa Brown in the 5th District race, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. A Grand Island, N.Y., man accused of leaving threatening voicemails for House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., last year was found guilty Wednesday, according to local media in Upstate New York. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
By Michael Brice-Saddler Washington Post

A Grand Island, N.Y., man accused of leaving threatening voicemails for House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., last year was found guilty Wednesday, according to local media in Upstate New York.

The U.S. attorney’s office in the Western District of New York previously charged 63-year-old Carlos Bayon with interstate communication of a threat and threatening two federal officials after he left insidious voice mails for Scalise and Rodgers, in which the man said that “we are going to feed them lead.” The threats were seemingly inspired by President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” border policy that resulted in family separation, The Washington Post previously reported, which was major national news at the time of the calls.

“Hey listen, this message is for you and the people that sent you there. You are taking ours, we are taking yours. Anytime, anywhere. We know where they are. We are not going to feed them sandwiches, we are going to feed them lead,” Bayon said in the recording. “Make no mistake you will pay. Ojo por ojo, diente por diente (Spanish for ”an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth“). That is our law and we are the majority. Have a good day.”

A U.S. Capitol Police officer used law enforcement databases and phone records and to trace both of the voice mails back to Bayon. His voice was matched with video of Bayon speaking in a local news report.

Following his Aug. 1 arrest, law enforcement officials searched Bayon’s home and found ammunition for high-powered firearms, as well as 17 books related to using guns and explosives. Among the book titles: “Middle Eastern Terrorist Bomb Designs,” “How to circumvent security alarms” and “How to make disposable silencers.” Police also found receipts for an SKS rifle and a .38-caliber revolver.

For Scalise, the voice mail came less than one year after a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, leaving him critically injured. He was hospitalized for organ damage and severe bleeding, which required immediate surgery.

“Whip Scalise is grateful to law enforcement for their actions,” Scalise spokeswoman Lauren Fine said at the time. “He will never forget how their heroism saved his life and those of his colleagues last year. As he has said before, there is absolutely no place in our political discourse for violent threats.”

Bayon’s charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both, according to the Department of Justice. An attorney representing Bayon did not immediately return a voice mail requesting comment last Wednesday.