Mr. Lemke, of Bay Point, Calif., told Professor Jeffries that he was part of a group of “active/retired law enforcement or military” that had “armed members near your home,” according to court documents.
Key Figures in the Jan. 6 Inquiry
Card 1 of 9The House investigation. A select committee is scrutinizing the causes of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which occurred as Congress met to formalize Joe Biden’s election victory amid various efforts to overturn the results. Here are some people being examined by the panel:
Donald Trump. The former president’s movement and communications on Jan. 6 appear to be a focus of the inquiry. But Mr. Trump has attempted to shield his records, invoking executive privilege. The dispute is making its way through the courts.
Mark Meadows. Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, who initially provided the panel with a trove of documents that showed the extent of his role in the efforts to overturn the election, is now refusing to cooperate. The House voted to recommend holding Mr. Meadows in criminal contempt of Congress.
Scott Perry. The panel is requesting testimony and documents from the Republican representative, the first public step the committee has taken to try to get information from a group of G.O.P. congressmen, which includes Jim Jordan, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Louie Gohmert and Mo Brooks, who were deeply involved in efforts to overturn the election.
Phil Waldron. The retired Army colonel has been under scrutiny since a 38-page PowerPoint document he circulated on Capitol Hill was turned over to the panel by Mr. Meadows. The document contained extreme plans to overturn the election.
Fox News anchors. Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and Brian Kilmeade texted Mr. Meadows during the Jan. 6 riot urging him to persuade Mr. Trump to make an effort to stop it. The texts were part of the material that Mr. Meadows had turned over to the panel.
Steve Bannon. The former Trump aide has been charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena, claiming protection under executive privilege even though he was an outside adviser. His trial is scheduled for next summer.
Jeffrey Clark. The little-known official repeatedly pushed his colleagues at the Justice Department to help Mr. Trump undo his loss. The panel has recommended that Mr. Clark be held in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate.
John Eastman. The lawyer has been the subject of intense scrutiny since writing a memo that laid out how Mr. Trump could stay in power. Mr. Eastman was present at a meeting of Trump allies at the Willard Hotel that has become a prime focus of the panel.
Professor Jeffries said in an email that he was satisfied with the sentence and declined to comment beyond a letter he sent to Judge Hellerstein.
The letter said that the texts had created “a palpable sense of fear” in his home.
“I could see it in my 11-year-old daughter’s eyes when she wondered whether the odd creak in the house was actually someone trying to break in and harm us,” Professor Jeffries wrote.
He said that Mr. Lemke turned “a family’s world upside down” and “shook us to the core.”
Mr. Lemke sent a similar text to a relative of Mr. Stephanopoulos, saying that the journalist’s words were “putting you and your family at risk.”
“We are nearby, armed and ready,” Mr. Lemke wrote, according to prosecutors. “Thousands of us are active/retired law enforcement, military, etc. That’s how we do it.”
Brian Stelter, CNN’s chief media correspondent, said in an article published Monday that he and a colleague, the anchor Don Lemon, had been among the journalists that Mr. Lemke had threatened. Mr. Stelter described one message he received from Mr. Lemke that included a photo of his father’s grave.
He said that Mr. Lemon began “choking up” while telling Judge Hellerstein that Mr. Lemke had called him “horrendous names,” including homophobic and racist slurs.