‘How fearful she was’: Sen. Rosen details alleged threats made against her
Sen. Jacky Rosen has received her fair share of volatile voicemails, but a recent caller’s messages made their way to the FBI.
In October, a Las Vegas man allegedly left multiple voicemails with Rosen’s office, going on numerous profanity-laden, antisemitic tirades, including one that said “we’re gonna finish what Hitler started.”
John Anthony Miller, 43, was charged with one count of threatening a federal officer. During a preliminary hearing in federal court on Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah found that there was probable cause for prosecutors to charge Miller, according to court records.
Miller remained in federal custody on Thursday, court records show. He did not have an extensive criminal history in Las Vegas prior to the incident.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, Miller was arrested on May 26, 2022 in the area of East Twain Avenue and Palos Verdes Street in Las Vegas on a warrant for reckless driving. Las Vegas Justice Court records show that Miller pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of speeding 11 to 15 mph over the posted limit.
Rosen told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Miller went too far, expressing “fully antisemitic” threats.
“It really hit home to me when my daughter heard and saw the transcripts of the kinds of threats this individual was making, and how fearful she was,” Rosen said.
The first-term senator thanked local law enforcement and the Department of Justice, and said she is increasing her own public safety and taking the best security measures she can.
Instead of seeing the incident through the eyes of a senator, she saw it anew through the eyes of a mother, she said, and realized how Jewish people are feeling around the country and the world.
“They are fearful to show their Judaism, to let people know they’re Jewish, they fear for retribution,” Rosen said.
‘Put an end to hate’
Since the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, the Anti-Defamation League reported a spike in antisemitic incidents. Between Oct. 7 and Oct. 23, the Anti-Defamation League recorded a total of 312 antisemitic incidents, 190 of which were directly linked to the war in Israel and Gaza. During the same period in 2022, there were 64 incidents.
Those antisemitic incidents have happened in Las Vegas as well. Last week, walls in the western Las Vegas Valley were spray-painted with antisemitic messages that said “Death 2 Jews” and “Jews are causing W.W.3.”
Rosen said the celebration of terrorism and calling for the elimination of other people has been disheartening to see.
“We need to be sure that we put an end to hate wherever we see it,” she said.
As the co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism and the Abraham Accords caucus, Rosen has taken a lead role in efforts to help Israel and Jewish Americans. In the wake of the surprise attack by Hamas, Rosen visited Israel last month to speak with Israeli leaders and families of hostages taken in the attack.
She pushed for a resolution demanding the immediate release of the hostages, which the Senate passed Thursday, and she urged the United Nations to designate Hamas a terrorist organization and impose sanctions.
Rosen said she is working to stop antisemitism on college campuses. She called on the Department of Education to take action to address the issue, and the department has since issued guidance to schools and colleges reminding them of their legal responsibility to protect students from discrimination.
“We have a right to free speech in this country, but no one has the right to threaten or intimidate someone based on their race, religion or ethnicity,” she said.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X. Review-Journal staff writers Katelyn Newberg and Brett Clarkson contributed to this report.
