A Georgia man was arraigned on Monday, June 16, on federal charges stemming from alleged threats made against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Deb Fischer of Nebraska, according to federal prosecutors. Robert Davis Forney, 25, of Duluth, is accused of leaving voicemails in January in which he threatened sexual violence against the senators. Prosecutors say he also threatened Cruz’s family.
Arraignment and indictment
Forney was indicted by a federal grand jury in Georgia during the week of June 8 and was arraigned Monday on two counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce, according to court records obtained by CBS News.
“Threatening our elected officials and their families is an act of violence that undermines our entire democracy,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Theodore S. Hertzberg in a statement. “Political discourse and disagreements never justify resorting to vile attacks against our nation’s leaders.”
“Targeting public officials with threatening messages is a serious federal crime,” FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said in the statement. “There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States. We will not hesitate to arrest and charge others who engage in similar criminal conduct.”
What prosecutors say happened
Prosecutors said Forney called Cruz’s office and left voicemails in which he threatened sexual violence against the senator and his family. The next day, he called Fischer’s office and left a message in which he threatened sexual violence against her as well.
Cruz and Fischer’s office did not immediately respond to news of the arraignment.
Political violence on the rise
Forney’s arraignment and indictment follow a rise in political violence targeting U.S. politicians.
Vance Boelter, 57, of Minnesota, was arrested on Sunday, June 15, in connection to the deadly shooting of Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. Police say Boelter also shot Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who were injured but survived, in what law enforcement has labeled as “politically motivated” attacks.
Following the violent crimes over the weekend of June 13 in Minnesota, the U.S. Senate held a meeting on Tuesday, June 17, which was about safety for lawmakers.
Threats against members of Congress
United States Capitol Police reported in February 2025 that the threats against members of Congress rose for a second consecutive year in 2024. Police said they investigated 9,474 statements of concern and direct threats against congressional lawmakers, their relatives and staff compared to 8,008 threats in 2023. The threats have yet to reach the level recorded in 2021 when officials saw 9,625 threatening messages.
“The men and women of the United States Capitol work around the clock to investigate thousands of threat cases every year – a number that only seems to be growing,” Acting U.S. Capitol Chief Sean Gallagher said in a statement on Monday. “Our Department’s mission to protect the members of Congress is critical, and we will not tolerate any threat to their safety.”
