A man has been charged with threatening to harm both Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical advisor and head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, the Hill reports.
It adds that Thomas Patrick Connally, Jr., was charged on Tuesday with making threats against federal officials and interstate communication containing a threat to harm. In a series of emails sent to Fauci and Collins between December and July, Connally allegedly threatened to harm them and members of their families, the Hill reports. According to the Justice Department, he allegedly wrote in one email to Fauci that he and his family would be "dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire."
The Washington Post notes that an increasing number of threats have been made against Fauci in the last year and the Hill adds that Fauci has mentioned the threats he and his family have received.
If convicted, Connally faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for making threats against a federal official and five years for the interstate communication containing a threat to harm charge, the Hill adds.