### Colorado Man Admits to Making Death Threats Against Election Officials

In a court hearing on Wednesday, Teak Ty Brockbank, 45, from Cortez, Colorado, pleaded guilty to one count of making interstate threats. Brockbank admitted to threatening the lives of high-ranking election officials in Colorado and Arizona, judges, and federal law enforcement agents online, driven by "fear, hate, and anger."

Brockbank, detained since his arrest on August 23, faces a potential prison sentence of up to five years. Though he initially entered a not guilty plea, his lawyer, Thomas Ward, informed the court earlier this month of Brockbank's intention to change his plea. Ward declined to comment following the hearing.

Investigators revealed that in late 2021, Brockbank had begun advocating for violence against public officials, making multiple threats against Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is now the state's governor. The threats were part of Brockbank's criticism of the government's actions concerning Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk convicted of allowing a breach of her election system based on unfounded claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Court documents disclosed that in August 2022, Brockbank posted on social media platforms Gab and Rumble that prominent election officials like Griswold and Hobbs needed to be executed to instill fear among others. Griswold's office alerted federal authorities, prompting the investigation. In a separate October 2021 post, Brockbank reportedly threatened a state judge involved in his probation for a fourth DUI conviction, calling the judge a "Nazi."

Further court documents outlined that Brockbank had firearms at his residence despite being legally prohibited from possessing any due to a previous felony conviction. Federal agents found several firearms, including a loaded one near his front door, during his August arrest.

Even beyond the period for which he was charged, Brockbank continued his threatening behavior. After Donald Trump was removed from Colorado's presidential primary ballot in December 2023, Brockbank added the judges who made the decision to his list of targets. This July, he resumed making threats against Griswold, motivated by her role in initiating the investigation into the 2021 data breach.

Brockbank's case is part of broader efforts by the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, established by Attorney General Merrick Garland to protect election workers amidst rising threats since the 2020 elections. Previously, in 2022, the task force secured a guilty plea from a Nebraska man who threatened Griswold.