Democrat Senate Candidate Arrested For Threatening Trump’s Life
An Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, man running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate faces accusations of making threats to kill President Donald Trump and a member of Congress. An FBI spokesperson confirmed that Raymond Chandler was arrested Friday morning by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in Pittsburgh, along with the United States Secret Service, WPXI reported.
Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, obtained by local media, outline the alleged threatening statements authorities say Chandler made.
According to the affidavit, Chandler reportedly left an unidentified member of Congress a voicemail on April 18, during which he said he asked the person to think about how 1,000 people would “pull you out of your house and they slit your throat and they slit your daughter’s throat and they slit everyone’s throat.”
The affidavit also said he followed that up by stating this must happen because “wealth concentration has gotten so bad in this country.”
The filing also notes that on April 29, Chandler left another voicemail to an unidentified member of Congress, saying, “I want you to put that firearm to the President’s head, and I want you to pull the trigger and I want you to kill him.” He then said that President Trump is “a liar among all liars. He’s a great deceiver. He’s the antichrist.”
The congressmember’s representatives eventually reached out to authorities after Chandler’s voicemails became increasingly violent rhetoric aimed at Trump, members of Congress, and ICE.
Just hours before his arrest, Chandler posted a YouTube video as part of his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. In the video, titled “It’s Time to Tax the Billionaires,” he announced his intention to challenge Senator John Fetterman in the 2028 election.
His campaign website outlines a range of progressive priorities, including taxing billionaires, expanding social programs, regulating Big Tech, and abolishing ICE—positions that are widely accepted within the Democrat Party.
A week ago, the suspect charged in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting made his initial appearance in federal court, where he was formally advised of the charges filed by prosecutors.
Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is accused of entering the Washington Hilton while armed with multiple weapons and attempting to reach the ballroom where President Trump was attending the dinner alongside Cabinet officials and journalists Saturday night.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Allen appeared in court wearing a blue jail uniform and faces charges including attempted assassination of the President of the United States, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and transporting a firearm across state lines, Fox News reported.
Allen spoke softly during his court appearance. As he was led into the courtroom by marshals, he scanned the public gallery, which included over 40 members of the press and general public. He nodded as Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh explained various aspects of the proceedings.
“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told the court. “We are asking the court to preventatively detain Mr. Allen.”
“Cole Allen’s journey of accountability in the criminal justice system starts today,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a press conference Monday afternoon, adding, “There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold.”
“But make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was,” Pirro continued. “And that intent was to bring down as many of the high ranking Cabinet officials as he could. This is the kind of situation that we cannot tolerate.”
PART 2: The First Word He Ever Said
The slap echoed louder than the music.
Then—
nothing.
No voices.
No movement.
Just silence.
The toddler clung tightly to the nanny’s dress.
“Mamma…”
One word.
The first word he had ever spoken.
And he said it to her.
Not to the fiancée.
Not to his father.
To the nanny.
The woman in the gray uniform stood frozen, one hand against her cheek, the other wrapped protectively around the child.
The guests stared.
Champagne glasses suspended in midair.
“What did he just say?” someone whispered.
The man in the tuxedo stepped forward slowly.
Like he didn’t trust what he heard.
The child buried his face into the nanny’s shoulder.
Still holding onto her.
“Let go of him,” the fiancée snapped.
But the boy held tighter.
“No,” he whispered.
The room shifted.
Again.
Because that wasn’t just a word.
It was a choice.
The man looked at the nanny.
Really looked at her for the first time all night.
Her trembling hands.
Her eyes.
The way the child trusted her without fear.
“How does he know you?” he asked quietly.
The nanny didn’t answer immediately.
Because there was no safe answer.
“He’s confused,” the fiancée said sharply.
But no one believed it anymore.
The child looked up.
Small hands gripping the nanny’s sleeve.
“She sings,” he whispered.
Silence.
Because the boy didn’t speak.
Not ever.
Doctors had called it trauma.
Shock.
Emotional withdrawal.
But now—
he was speaking.
And every word was directed at her.
The man stepped closer.
“What did he mean?” he asked.
The nanny shook her head slightly.
“You should stop this,” she whispered.
The fiancée laughed nervously.
“This is ridiculous.”
But her voice cracked.
Because now—
something was slipping.
The man looked down at the child.
“Why did you call her that?” he asked softly.
The toddler pointed at the nanny’s necklace.
A tiny silver charm hidden beneath her collar.
“She has the song,” he whispered.
The man froze.
Because he recognized those words.
The song.
The lullaby.
The one only his late wife used to sing.
“That’s impossible,” he whispered.
The nanny closed her eyes briefly.
Because now—
it was happening too fast.
The fiancée stepped forward again.
“She stole that necklace,” she said quickly.
But the child shook his head.
“No,” he whispered.
A pause.
“Mamma cried with it.”
The room tightened.
The man stared at the nanny.
“Who are you?” he asked.
The nanny looked at him.
Tears threatening—but never falling.
Then said quietly—
“The person your son remembered first.”
Silence.
Because that answer—
meant something deeper than anyone wanted to admit.
The fiancée stepped back.
“You’re lying,” she said.
But her voice had lost control.
The child looked at the man again.
Then whispered something so soft—
only he heard it.
And the color left his face instantly.
Because the boy had repeated a sentence—
word for word—
that only his dead wife ever used to say.
