Missouri man used N-word, mentioned noose while threatening to kill Rep. Cleaver: DOJ
A Missouri man accused of threatening to kill Rep. Emanuel Cleaver called the representative’s Independence office, used a racial slur and, prosecutors allege, said, “How about a noose ... around his neck?”
Kenneth R. Hubert, 63, of Marionville, was charged for threatening to assault and kill Cleaver, a Democrat who represents Kansas City, on Jan. 7 with the “intent to impede, intimidate and interfere” with his official duties, the Justice Department announced last week.
Prosecutors outlined their evidence in a motion Friday that asked for Hubert to be detained pending trial. He has made similar threatens before, prosecutors said.
On Jan. 6, a Missouri Democratic Party employee received two voicemails from Hubert, according to the motion. In one, Hubert allegedly said, “You mother------s better stay in hiding. Steal the election, we got something for you.” Hours later, prosecutors said, he left a second voicemail saying, “You see the s--- happening at the Capitol? It’s coming your way next.”
The employee turned the voicemails over to law enforcement. That day, a violent mob breached the U.S. Capitol with the intent to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
That evening, a police officer contacted Hubert at his Marionville residence. Hubert initially denied having left the voicemails but then admitted he had, according to the motion.
The next day, Hubert used the same phone number to leave the voicemail at Cleaver’s Independence office, in which he used a racial slur and called the representative “dumb as a rock,” federal prosecutors say.
“Amen, A-woman?” Hubert allegedly asked. “How about a noose ... around his neck? He’s a dumb mother------. He’s stupid as a idiot.”
An employee for Cleaver reported the voicemail to police.
Hubert appeared to be referencing Cleaver’s pun at the end of his opening prayer on the first day of the new Congress. Cleaver, a Kansas City Methodist minister serving in his ninth term, ended his prayer with the words, “Amen and ‘A-woman.’” Cleaver said at the time that the pun was intended to recognize the record number of women serving in the new Congress.
Cleaver’s words spurred a torrent of criticism from conservatives, who accused Cleaver of misunderstanding the meaning of “amen,” a Hebrew word that means “so be it.” Former President Donald Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was among those who attacked Cleaver.
“I am deeply disappointed that my prayer has been misinterpreted and misconstrued by some to fit a narrative that stokes resentment and greater division among portions of our population,” Cleaver said following the criticism.
Cleaver is the former pastor of St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City. He told The Star in January that the church had to temporarily shut down its phone lines because of abusive phone calls it received in the wake of the controversy.
Nearly two weeks later, Hubert confirmed to two FBI agents that he made the phone call to Cleaver’s office, according to court records. He admitted that by mentioning a noose, “it could be perceived as threatening,” an assistant U.S. attorney wrote.
He also told FBI agents he was previously investigated by the U.S. Secret Service for saying President Barack Obama “needed to be hanged from a light post,” according to the motion.
Law enforcement had also investigated Hubert for voicemails he left a federal judge in Montana in 2014. He was investigated again in 2016 for calls he made to the Council on American-Islamic Relations in St. Louis, according to prosecutors.
“Pack up your tents and go back to your f------ Arab country, that’s if you want to stay alive,” Hubert allegedly told the civil rights and advocacy group.
At the time, Hubert “described himself as a ‘right wing nut job,’” the FBI reported.
In their motion, prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri said Hubert’s history showed he had “complete disregard” for law enforcement, which tried to stop him from making harassing calls. They argued he is a flight risk who could intimidate witnesses.
“The defendant ignored those requests and continues to harass United States officials, now escalating his conduct to threats of harm,” prosecutors wrote.
“Using his own words, he obeys the laws that he feels like obeying,” prosecutors added.
Hubert is being represented by the Federal Public Defender Office in Springfield. His attorney declined to comment on the case Monday morning, citing the office’s policy.
Hubert was arrested Wednesday after he was charged by a federal grand jury. He remained at the Greene County jail and will appear Monday before Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush for a detention hearing at the federal courthouse in Springfield.
The indictment also alleged that Hubert on May 6, 2019, threatened to kill Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee. He called Cohen’s office in Washington, D.C., and said he had “a noose with the congressman’s name on it” and that he intended to “put a noose around his neck and drag him behind his pickup truck,” according to the motion filed Friday.
Hubert made the call in response to a statement Cohen made about President Trump, the FBI said.
Shortly after prosecutors announced the charges against Hubert last week, Cleaver told The Star he did not know Hubert personally and said he first learned about the threat the week prior from Cohen, a Democrat.
Cleaver knew few details about the case. He said the FBI had been investigating Hubert for some time.
The congressman previously said his church had to disconnect its phone lines in January, just days before Hubert’s alleged threat, after Donald Trump Jr. made repeated derogatory references to Cleaver on social media and at a Georgia campaign event.
“We get a lot of phone calls, N words, the threats about all kind of things,” said Cleaver, who was the first Black mayor of Kansas City.
Cleaver has faced threats of violence before in his long political career. In 2014, a man tried to firebomb Cleaver’s Kansas City office. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 2016.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 9:50 AM.
