A Washington man was arrested by federal agents Thursday for threatening Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s life, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by The Daily Beast. Eric Kikkert of Kent, Washington, a convicted felon, called Cruz’s office on March 21 and said the senator could “either answer my questions by giving me a call, or at the end of my rifle,” the filing states. The next day, Kikkert allegedly sent a text with a picture of himself from his time in the military and the caption: “Ted Cruz is going to call me or ill [sic] end up in his fucking face with an assault rifle.” Kikkert, who reportedly has a history of mental illness and allegedly said he wanted to start a militia, also left multiple voicemails for Cruz, according to the complaint, making a disjointed series of nonsensical demands. “That’s a fucking vaccine,” he was quoted saying in one. “And if you don’t fucking talk to me about it, if you don’t advocate for it, I’m going to fucking blow your brains out.” In another, Kikkert allegedly told Cruz, “I’m gonna blow your fucking brains out dude, literally.” Kikkert is also said to have told Cruz he was “willing to put a gun in your face.” It is unclear exactly why Kikkert was upset with Cruz beyond being unresponsive to his attempts to get in touch. Kikkert’s court-appointed lawyer, Dennis Carroll, declined to comment.
