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A Los Angeles grand jury has indicted Benjamin Azariah Southworth, a 40-year-old podcaster and one-time reality TV presenter, on federal charges after prosecutors say he repeatedly threatened to kill President Donald Trump. Federal agents arrested Southworth at his Los Angeles home after the three-count indictment accused him of making threats against the President and engaging in a broader harassment campaign.
According to court filings and prosecutors’ statements, the charges include threats against the president, cyberstalking, and harassing interstate calls tied to a campaign of doxxing and menacing voicemail messages aimed at the family of the President’s personal attorney. Authorities say he used his website and social accounts to publish private addresses and phone numbers, then left warnings that “justice comes to your door,” conduct prosecutors treat as a clear escalation from crude rhetoric to criminal intimidation.
The indictment points to multiple online videos and posts in which Southworth reportedly urged violence, including a March 31 clip and merchandise sold on his site that explicitly encouraged killing the President. Prosecutors also cite social media posts celebrating a failed assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as further evidence of intent and recklessness. This was not merely tasteless talk; investigators say it crossed the line into actionable threats.
The U.S. Attorney’s office made clear that threats against the President are federal crimes and vowed full prosecution, while a White House spokesperson condemned anyone who engages in or endorses political violence and what officials have called “assassination culture.” Law and order must matter, and when speech turns into planning or celebration of violence, the state is right to intervene to protect elected leaders and their families.
That said, patriots should demand more than momentary outrage — we should demand even-handed justice. The Department of Justice itself has recently shown it will bring charges in high-profile threat cases, including an April indictment of former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly posting threatening imagery, which proves the law can reach prominent figures on any side of the aisle. If the justice system is to regain the public’s trust, prosecutors must apply the law consistently and without political selectivity.
Americans can condemn the grotesque rhetoric without surrendering to censorship or partisan weaponization of law enforcement, but we must also face facts: a culture that normalizes calls for assassination endangers us all. Conservatives should be loud in insisting that social platforms be held accountable, that local and federal authorities pursue credible threats vigorously, and that civic leaders stop glamorizing political violence in any form. Our republic depends on treating threats as crimes and on restoring a public square where fierce disagreement does not end in calls for murder.
