Montana man accused of threatening Biden and US senator agrees to plea bargain, court records show

By Andy Rose, CNN

(CNN) — A Montana man accused of threatening President Joe Biden and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has agreed to a plea bargain, according to a court document filed Monday.

Anthony James Cross, 30, will plead guilty to threats to injure and murder a United States senator, the document says. As part of the agreement with prosecutors, a charge of making a threat against the president will be dropped.

A redacted indictment filed in federal court in September does not list the specific threat alleged against Tester, but does say that Cross stated, “I will personally kill Joe Biden.”

A hearing date for the plea deal to be formally accepted has not yet been scheduled. Cross remains in jail without bond, according to the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.

Cross faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, although prosecutors agreed to recommend less than that as part of the plea agreement.

CNN has reached out Tuesday to Tester’s office and Cross’s public defender, Gillian Gosch, for comment.

The incident adds to recent concerns about threats of violence against elected and public officials. Calls for violence against lawmakers online and elsewhere have referenced the officials and their families resulting in questions about their safety.

Earlier this year, another Montana man was arrested for threatening Tester. Kevin Patrick Smith, 46, was accused of making multiple threatening calls to Tester’s district office in Kalispell, even after the FBI contacted him and ordered him to stop. Smith agreed to a plea deal in August and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

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