Mississippi Man Charged With Threatening to Kill Congressman

A Mississippi man was charged in connection with a phone call threatening to kill a United States representative and his staffers, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The man, Newton Wade Townsend, 52, of Brandon, Miss., was charged on Tuesday with threatening a public official. Court records, which only identify the congressman by the initials B.T., said that the threat was made on June 1.

Congressman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, said that he received a threat from Mr. Townsend on his office phone, and that the Capitol Police investigated the matter.

“I am happy the investigation resulted in the arrest of Mr. Townsend,” Mr. Thompson said in a statement on Wednesday. “This should serve as a lesson that anyone who chooses to threaten to murder members of Congress will be prosecuted.”