U.S. — Scott Allen Bolger, a 33-year-old from Virginia, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for sending a threatening message to Ric Grenell, a former special missions envoy to the Trump administration. The sentencing followed a December incident in which Bolger made threats via phone and text.
On December 23, Grenell received a phone call from Bolger, during which Bolger called him a 'coward.' Bolger later used a Google Voice account registered with a false email address to send a text message that read, 'Step on U Street and get a bullet put between your eyes, loyalist pig skin p****[.]' Grenell reported the call to the FBI after it displayed a number, leading to Bolger's identification and arrest. Prosecutors said they could not link up to 30 additional anonymous calls received that night to Bolger.
Bolger apologized to Grenell and his family during the hearing. 'My actions are not excusable, no matter how much politics and the Kennedy Center mean to me,' Bolger said. A lawyer for Bolger stated that Bolger became extremely upset after the Kennedy Center board, led by Grenell, voted to rename the institution 'The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.'
Grenell delivered a victim impact statement, saying the threatening text message was not a one-time event. He said he was accustomed to criticism as a gay conservative but described Bolger as 'unhinged.' Grenell added he was surprised to be only steps away from the man who threatened to kill him. 'I believe the 15-month prison sentence is adequate,' Grenell said. 'I forgive Scott Allen Bolger, but I am fearful of the day he is released.' He also said he does not want someone like his friend Charlie Kirk to become a victim.
Grenell stated that mentally unstable individuals are hearing political discourse and taking unauthorized actions. He blamed Democratic politicians and media outlets, including MS Now, the Daily Beast, and Huffington Post, for fueling aggression. 'Left-wing violence is growing in the country and must be acknowledged,' Grenell said. A December study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found an increase in left-wing terrorism incidents, though the report noted the figures remain substantially lower than historical levels of right-wing and jihadist attacks.
No independent assessment of Ric Grenell’s claims was available.