By Whitney Wild and Holmes Lybrand | CNN
(CNN) — Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem posted a surprising allegation on Wednesday: A undocumented migrant despatched a letter threatening to kill President Donald Trump, promising to “self deport” after the assassination.
“Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,” Noem wrote in a social media publish that included the letter and an image of the person arrested. DHS additionally despatched out a press launch.
The issue: Investigators consider the migrant was a sufferer of a setup.
Legislation enforcement believes the person, Ramon Morales Reyes, 54, by no means wrote the letter, which was despatched to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement workplace and different regulation enforcement companies, a number of sources acquainted with the matter informed CNN.
As a substitute, investigators suspect the letter was supposed to learn a separate particular person who’s at the moment awaiting trial in a theft and assault case by which Reyes is a sufferer. They don’t contemplate the menace to be credible.
In investigating the case, brokers consider the particular person might have been concerned in sending these letters, claiming to be from Reyes, in an try and have Reyes deported earlier than the case might go to trial, sources mentioned.
A high-level regulation enforcement official who was briefed on the case informed CNN that regulation enforcement decided Reyes didn’t write the letter once they interviewed him concerning the menace. Federal officers requested for a handwriting pattern from Reyes and decided his handwriting and the threatening letter didn’t match.
Additional, a supply informed CNN regulation enforcement reviewed jail calls made by an individual they consider performed a job in penning the letters. The supply mentioned the particular person requested about particular addresses, certainly one of which obtained the letter.
“We are tired of this president messing with us Mexicans,” the letter says, including later, “I will self deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president in the head,” probably at a rally.
The Milwaukee Police Division informed CNN on Thursday it’s “investigating an identity theft and victim intimidation incident related to this incident” however couldn’t present particulars because the investigation is ongoing and “no one has been criminally charged at this time.”
CNN has tried to achieve attorneys for every particular person concerned in these instances, together with Reyes, who’s at the moment being held in a county jail in Wisconsin. Reyes has not been charged with threatening Trump.
The Secret Service referred an inquiry concerning the alleged menace to DHS.
Requested concerning the arrest and allegations of a menace towards the president, a senior Homeland Safety official informed CNN: “The investigation into the threat is ongoing. Over the course of the investigation, this individual was determined to be in the country illegally and that he had a criminal record. He will remain in custody.”
A spokesperson for the US Legal professional’s Workplace for the Japanese District of Wisconsin informed CNN they’ve “no charged matter involving this individual,” and declined to remark additional.
“Morales entered the U.S. illegally at least nine times between 1998-2005,” DHS mentioned in its unique press launch on Reyes’ arrest. “His criminal record includes arrests for felony hit and run, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier.”
The division wouldn’t touch upon whether or not they nonetheless believed Reyes was the creator of the letter.
The incident comes amid a heightened setting of threats towards Trump and officers in addition to elevated stress on ICE to ramp up deportation numbers.
In her publish, Noem wrote that the alleged menace got here “less than two weeks after former FBI Director Comey called for the President’s assassination.” (James Comey has denied the publish was meant as a menace or in any respect related to violence.)
“All politicians and members of the media should take notice of these repeated attempts on President Trump’s life and tone down their rhetoric,” the secretary added.
