Truth Social tipped off authorities to the concerning online posts of one of Donald Trump’s followers months before he was shot dead by the FBI during a raid prompted by his threats to kill President Joe Biden, it has been revealed.
A senior law enforcement official told NBC News that the former president’s social media company alerted the FBI back in March about a particular post left by Craig Deleeuw Robertson on the platform.
In the post, Robertson – a 74-year-old Air Force veteran who described himself as a “MAGA Trumper” – had threatened to kill Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr under his account @winston4eagles.
At the time, Mr Bragg was preparing to bring charges against Mr Trump in connection to hush money payments made adult film star Stormy Daniels and others to cover up his alleged affairs ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
In early April, the former president was hit with 34 charges of falsifying business records over the alleged “catch-and-kill scheme”.
According to the federal criminal complaint against Robertson, an unnamed social media company – identified as Mr Trump’s Truth Social – sent a tip about the threat to kill Mr Trump’s rival to the FBI National Threat Operations Center.
An FBI agent then received the tip on 19 March from the FBI National Threat Operations Center.
Following the tip, two FBI agents had gone to Roberston’s home in Provo, Utah and confronted him about the online threat.
Robertson allegedly dismissed the threat telling the agents: “I said it was a dream… We’re done here! Don’t return without a warrant.”
Over the next five months, the FBI uncovered “multiple threats” made by Robertson against Mr Trump rivals including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Vice President Kamala Harris and US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The complaint in United States District Court against Craig Deleeuw Robertson, featuring threatening online postings— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Then, on Sunday, Robertson – who owned multiple firearms – had taken to social media to make a chilling threat against Mr Biden.
“I heard Biden is coming to Utah,” he wrote, just hours before the president’s visit to the state.
Robertson added that he was “cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle”.
Following the disturbing post, FBI agents tried to execute a search warrant at Robertson’s home on Wednesday and arrest him on federal charges for making death threats against Mr Biden, Mr Bragg and FBI agents.
During the encounter, Robertson allegedly refused to comply with commands and pointed a firearm at the agents.
He was fatally shot by the FBI agents.
Robertson’s family have since spoken out to insist that he would never have acted on his words.
Craig Robertson stands in camouflage holding a rifle in an undated social media photo— (US District Court)
“Though his statements were intemperate at times, he has never, and would never, commit any act of violence against another human being over a political or philosophical disagreement,” the family said in a statement.
Robertson was “understandably frustrated and distraught” by “erosions to our constitutionally protected freedoms and the rights of free citizens wrought by what he, and many others in this nation, observed to be a corrupt and overreaching government,” they said.
“There was very little he could do but exercise his First Amendment right to free speech and voice his protest in what has become the public square of our age — the internet and social media.”
His death is now under investigation by the FBI’s Inspection Division.
