WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The Lebanon, Maine man facing federal charges for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol allegedly made several threatening phone calls to Rep. Chellie Pingree’s office in 2020, court documents reveal.
Kyle Fitzsimons, 37, was arrested by the FBI in Maine on Feb. 4. He faces 10 federal charges, including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and assault on a federal officer.
A motion filed on March 18 calling for Fitzsimons to be detained pending his trial details his actions leading up to and on the day of the riots, and argues that pretrial detention “is necessary in this case to ensure the safety of the people and the community.”
U.S. prosecutors also say Fitzsimons would be a flight risk.
According to the court documents, Fitzsimons allegedly made several calls to his Congressional District office. Pingree represents Fitzsimons in Congressional District 1.
Pingree's office confirmed with NEWS CENTER Maine Wednesday that Fitzsimons made the threatening phone calls, which were reported to Capitol Police, but had no further comment.
In a call to Pingree’s office on March 19, 2020, Fitzsimons allegedly demanded the phone number of Chinese President Xi Jinping and said he wanted to start a war with China. He then told the person who answered if they didn’t give him the number, “he was going to go out on the street and start talking to the Chinese people he saw,” the motion said.
When the staffer asked for his name, he allegedly said, “This is Kyle Fitzsimons, the man who wants to start a war.” Fitzsimons’ tone was “very aggressive and angry," documents state.
Then, just weeks before Jan. 6, on December 17 and 18, Fitzsimons allegedly called Pingree’s office twice. On Dec. 17, he allegedly called and said he opposed impeaching now-former President Donald Trump. He again was reported as being “very aggressive, shouting and yelling,” court documents say.
Fitzsimons then allegedly said he was going to "give it to her hard" and that "we're coming for her,” referring to Pingree.
The next day he allegedly called again, saying the electoral college is “corrupt” and “total garbage.” He urged Pingree to dispute the election results in January. He allegedly said Joe Biden is a “corrupt skeleton” and that “this is going to be Civil War.”
U.S. prosecutors say Fitzsimons’ clear disgust for the election and that he acted on the threats by violence and force “poses a clear risk for the community.”