Capitol Police Arrest Man Threatening Trump Cabinet Member
A 24-year-old Massachusetts man is facing federal charges after allegedly attempting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the U.S. Capitol earlier this year—an alarming security breach that has raised serious questions about ongoing threats to public officials in Washington.
Ryan Michael English, of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was indicted Thursday in U.S. District Court on two felony counts: attempted assassination of a Cabinet member and possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds. The charges stem from a January 27, 2025, incident in which English approached a Capitol Police officer and admitted he had come to the Capitol armed with a knife and two Molotov cocktails.
According to the indictment, English told the officer, “I’d like to turn myself in,” and voluntarily disclosed that he was carrying a knife and incendiary devices. He was promptly arrested near the South Door of the Capitol Building at approximately 3:12 p.m.
Capitol Police officers discovered a folding knife and two 50ml vodka bottles converted into homemade Molotov cocktails—each fitted with a cloth wick. A green lighter was found in his coat pocket.
English, who reportedly intended to murder a presidential contender scheduled to testify before the Senate that day, also carried a disturbing handwritten note that read in part: “This is terrible, but I can’t do anything while nazis kill my sisters… I’m really sorry for lying, planning, and lying.”
Authorities say English told investigators he had flown to Washington, D.C., to either assassinate a government official or target a local think tank, though details on the second potential target remain unclear.
U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger announced the charges Thursday afternoon. English remains in federal custody and appeared before a judge for the first time later that day.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan is leading the prosecution.
In other developments tied to national security and public accountability, Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed Wednesday that the FBI is reviewing tens of thousands of videos tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse network, many of which allegedly depict children and child pornography.
Bondi stated there are “hundreds of victims”, and the overwhelming volume of material has slowed the full release of Epstein-related files—an effort being prioritized by President Donald Trump’s administration as part of a broader transparency initiative.
“The FBI is diligently going through that,” Bondi told reporters. “It’s just the volume. No one victim will ever get released.”
Epstein, the convicted sex offender and billionaire financier, was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal child sex trafficking charges. While the official cause was ruled a suicide, public skepticism and speculation have never subsided, especially given Epstein’s extensive ties to high-level political, financial, and academic circles.
President Donald Trump has made it a second-term priority to fully release the Epstein files and expose the scope of his network.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, has repeatedly warned that vital records may have been destroyed before President Trump’s return to the White House.
“The president ordered them released. The attorney general ordered them released. We all know they have not been released,” Comer said during an appearance on The Benny Show.
Comer serves on the House Oversight Task Force on Declassification, a panel chaired by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), which is overseeing the Epstein file review and pushing for full transparency.
In April, one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, tragically took her own life after years of mental health struggles. Giuffre, 41, was a mother of three and had been a vocal advocate for survivors of sex trafficking.
Though conspiracy theories continue to swirl regarding a so-called “client list,” no such definitive document has ever been produced. Still, the Trump administration remains committed to uncovering the full extent of Epstein’s network and holding any co-conspirators accountable.
As the Trump Justice Department moves forward with both transparency and tough-on-crime enforcement, Americans are once again witnessing what it looks like when law and order is not just talked about—but pursued.