WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury in Washington declined to indict a woman accused of threatening President Donald Trump on social media, another sign of pushback from D.C. residents over the use of federal law enforcement and deployment of National Guard troops in the city.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia accused Nathalie Rose Jones of Indiana of threatening to take the life of the president and transmitting threats over state lines on Instagram and Facebook.
Jones allegedly called Trump a “terrorist” and a “nazi” in a voluntary interview with the Secret Service. She attended a march in Washington on Aug. 16 that went around the White House complex and was then arrested, though she said she had no desire at that time to harm Trump. Friends wrote in letters to the court that Jones has had mental health issues.
In a motion filed Monday, her defense attorneys disclosed that a grand jury didn’t indict Jones.
“A grand jury has now found no probable cause to indict Ms. Jones on the charged offenses,” her federal public defenders wrote, seeking to get Jones released on her own recognizance.
Overruling a magistrate judge, Chief District Judge James Boasberg had ordered Jones released on home detention.
“Given that finding, the weight of the evidence is weak,” her federal public defenders wrote of the grand jury’s decision. “The government may intend to try again to obtain an indictment, but the evidence has not changed and no indictment is likely. For this reason the Court should release Ms. Jones on her personal recognizance to appear if required.”
It is rare for a federal grand jury to decline to indict, but it’s become an emerging trend in Washington amid Trump’s federal crackdown, with grand juries made up of local residents declining to indict at least six times in recent weeks.
Last week, a grand jury declined to indict a Justice Department employee named Sean Dunn, who was seen on video tossing a hoagie at the chest of one of the federal law enforcement officers patrolling the streets of Washington. Dunn has become a symbol of opposition to the federal takeover among D.C. residents, with Banksy-style art depicting a man tossing a sandwich appearing around the city.
A grand jury also declined to indict Alvin Summers with assault on a federal officer. And three federal grand juries refused to indict Sidney Lori Reid with assault during a scuffle with an FBI agent, and her charges were downgraded to a misdemeanor.
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