The Daily Fuckup

Federal prosecutors filed two separate threat complaints in mid-July, but they were not the same case and did not stem from the same incident. One was filed July 13 in the Western District of New York against a Rochester man accused of threatening Donald Trump Jr. The other was filed July 16 in the Middle District of Florida against a Jacksonville man accused of threatening President Trump.

In New York, prosecutors said James Gerald Eckert Jr., 39, was charged by criminal complaint with threatening to kill, kidnap or injure a member of the president’s immediate family. The complaint says the threats were posted June 18 in the chat feed for Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast, while Eckert was streaming on Rumble. Prosecutors also said the account used the name JamesGeraldEckertJr/@JamesGeraldEckertJr and had previously posted threats against Rochester Mayor Malik Evans and state Sen. Samra Brouk.

In Florida, prosecutors said William L. Upham, 35, a former Marine from Jacksonville, was charged by criminal complaint with threatening the president. According to the Justice Department, agents reviewed videos Upham posted on social media in which he called for the overthrow of the Trump administration and said the president must be killed. Prosecutors also said Upham sent a message saying he made the videos to “declare war” against President Trump and would kill him when God chooses.

Both men are accused, not convicted. The filings show prosecutors moving quickly when they say online posts or videos cross from political anger into criminal threats. In both cases, the complaints relied on preserved messages, videos and account activity. The two matters were filed three days apart, in separate districts, against different defendants and over different alleged conduct.