A Tucson man faces trial next month on federal charges accusing him of calling Rep. Adam Schiff and leaving a voicemail with profane threats of violence in October, according to court documents.
Jan Peter Meister, 52, is charged with one count of threats through interstate commerce and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after federal officials say he called the Washington, D.C., office of California Democrat Schiff and threatened to kill him.
Agents searching Meisterโs Tucson residence found an American Tactical rifle, a .38-caliber handgun, a 9mm handgun and more than 700 rounds of ammunition, court records say.
Schiff, House intelligence committee chairman, is the lead manager and one of seven House Democrats prosecuting Trumpโs impeachment trial.
In a motion filed last week asking for a separate trial for each of Meisterโs charges, his attorney, Brad Roach of Tucson, said Meister in a pre-arrest interview apologized for the call, saying it was โout of characterโ for him.
Meister told federal agents he watches Fox News and was likely upset at something he saw on the news, the motion said. He also told agents he drinks three times a week.
He said he โstrongly dislikes the Democrats, and feels they are to blame for the countryโs political issues,โ according to the motion.
Meister said he did not plan to act on the threat and he did not plan to travel to any political office or event, the court document said.
Meister is a registered sex offender in Arizona who was convicted in Maryland of two felony sex offenses involving minors, prosecutors said. He also spent time in prison for aggravated driving under the influence in Maricopa County.
Meister pleaded not guilty to the threat charges on Dec. 20. His trial has been set for March 9, unless Meister changes his plea by Feb. 21, according to court records.
