Judges Refuse to Jail Man Who Threatened Trump, Admin Officials
A Rhode Island man who federal authorities say threatened to assassinate President Donald J. Trump and two senior members of his administration has been indicted by a grand jury but continues to walk free under court-ordered monitoring, despite his violent history and repeated warnings from prosecutors.
Carl D. Montague, 37, of Providence, faces federal charges of making threats against the president and interstate communications of threats. The indictment stems from a June 27 rant on Truth Social, in which Montague allegedly vowed to shoot and kill the president, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Breitbart News reported.
According to an FBI affidavit, Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, flagged the posting and alerted the U.S. Secret Service. Investigators said the account, using the handle “@tacoustic,” was traced directly to Montague.
The message, riddled with profanity, stated in part: “It’s a shame you won’t get to see the end of your f***** term, because I’m gonna make sure I put a bullet rate [sic] between your f****** head you piece of s***, you Pam Bondi. Stephen f****** Miller, all you b******, are gonna get a f****** bullet to the head every single f****** one of you.”*
Three days later, on June 30, agents located Montague hiding in a bathtub at the apartment of a known associate. Before agents even introduced themselves, the affidavit said, Montague blurted out a confession and admitted to making the threats.
Montague told investigators he was “smoking a lot of marijuana” when he wrote the post, claimed he deleted his account afterward, and insisted he had no weapons and no actual ability to carry out violence. He also said he regretted what he posted, though prosecutors later described his remorse as unconvincing.
Despite the seriousness of the threats, Montague was initially released on July 9 on a $10,000 bond, after appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Moses, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. The decision to release him drew sharp criticism from the Department of Justice, which quickly filed a motion asking the court to detain him pending trial.
In that filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan detailed Montague’s criminal history, including four assault convictions between 2014 and 2022 and at least six probation violations. Donovan pointed out that Montague committed three of those offenses while already under court supervision and had repeatedly failed to comply with mandated mental health and substance abuse treatment.
“Put simply, the defendant’s recent violent threats are the latest in a long history of violent and threatening behavior,” Donovan wrote, adding that Montague “lacks the ability to control his aggression.”
The motion also noted Montague’s behavior following his release, when he unleashed a profanity-laden tirade at reporters outside the courthouse. Prosecutors argued that his conduct demonstrated he continued to pose a threat to both the named targets of his threats and the broader public.
Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Melissa R. DuBose, appointed earlier this year by President Joe Biden, denied the DOJ’s motion on July 25. Instead, she ordered Montague to wear a GPS ankle monitor, imposed an 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, and allowed him to remain free pending trial.
The decision marks the second time Democratic-appointed judges have declined to jail Montague despite DOJ objections, raising questions about whether the judicial system is taking the threats seriously.
Montague now awaits arraignment on the grand jury indictment, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, he faces federal prison time for the threats, though the exact sentencing exposure has not been detailed publicly.
For now, Montague remains confined not by prison walls but by electronic monitoring, a point that has already drawn criticism from those who say the courts are failing to protect the president and the public.
