Utah man suspected of threatening Biden shot and killed as FBI served warrant
PBS NewsHourAug 05, 2023
The Facts
At approximately 6:15 AM local time on Wednesday, a Provo, Utah man was shot and killed by FBI agents as they were serving search and arrest warrants in connection to threats made on social media that targeted Pres. Joe Biden and other government officials.
On Monday, the accused — Craig Deleeuw Robertson, reportedly 74 — posted online that he was "cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle" in response to news of Biden's visit to Utah on Wednesday. The FBI began investigating Robertson after an online threat he made in March against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Trump and his allies have fomented anger and violence in the country, and it's putting lives at risk. As the Jan. 6 riot and a violent attack at an FBI office in Ohio have shown, there are real consequences to this dangerous partisanship. Because of Trump's election conspiracies, an elderly man is now dead, as he stirs anger and resentment in a way that goes beyond politics as usual.
Establishment-critical narrative
Regardless of what one thinks of the former president, we need more answers from the FBI in this sad case. From Ruby Ridge to Waco, the federal government has a history of unnecessarily escalating encounters with those opposed to the government, and there must be more solid evidence other than a few Facebook posts for guns to be drawn on a senior citizen with limited mobility.
