Man charged with threatening to kill Rep. Adam Schiff

Robert Michael Phelps, 62, was arrested Friday. He was later released on a $25,000 bond.

A federal criminal complaint by the US Attorney's office for Connecticut alleges that the man filled out a form on Schiff's website for a meeting request on November, 12, 2019, saying he wanted to come and see the congressman, "So I can spit in your face and I want to kill you with my bare hands and smash your sick little round fat lying face in."

Schiff, a California Democrat, is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and was active in investigating President Donald Trump.

The complaint says when investigators interviewed Phelps, he admitted to sending the message but "did not see the message as threatening."

"Upon reviewing the email Phelps stated he was a Republican and needed to protect 'his president,'" the complaint alleges.

Phelps' charge of threatening to assault and murder a US official carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, according to a press release from the US Attorney's office for Connecticut. He's also charged with making interstate threats, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.

A spokesman for Schiff declined to comment.